MontgomeryCountyMD.GOV

Everett Alvarez, Jr.

U.S. Navy Commander Everett Alvarez, Jr., was the first American aviator taken captive in Vietnam after being shot down near Hanoi. He became the second longest-held U.S. prisoner of war (POW) in U.S. history. In 1964, Alvarez was a 26-year old Navy pilot based on the USS Constellation aircraft carrier in the South China Sea. He was part of a bombing mission over North Vietnam sent in retaliation after a reported North Vietnamese attack a day earlier on two U.S. destroyers. Alvarez's plane was shot down in the immediate aftermath of what is known as the Gulf of Tonkin incident that marked the start of a significant escalation of U.S. military action in Vietnam. He endured eight years and seven months of brutal captivity by the North Vietnamese at the Hoa Lo Prison, known by fellow POWs as the "Hanoi Hilton", where he was repeatedly beaten and tortured. He was released from captivity on February 12, 1973.  Commander Alvarez is a long-time resident of Rockville, Maryland.  View full profile

Tom Anderson

Tom Anderson served in the U.S. Army as an E-5 in the 101st Airborne Division, 326th Engineer Battalion in 1970 and 1971 in I Corps Vietnam where he built firebases, roads, water supplies and more. After Vietnam he served in Manheim, Germany. Upon return to civilian life, Anderson worked in Montgomery County, Maryland including teaching at the Montgomery College Germantown Campus. He graduated from Montgomery College and the University of Maryland.

Ronald Andre

Ronald Andre served in the U.S. Army as a Spec 4 from May 13, 1968 to August 8, 1969. He was a member of the Army Reserve 472 Medical Ambulance Unit, Rockville, Maryland. He was then activated and sent to Vietnam in September 1968. He served in Chu Lai, South Vietnam, supported two 1000 bed hospitals. Andre is a lifelong resident of Montgomery County, Maryland and graduated from Wheaton High School in 1962.

Dennis Ballard

Dennis Ballard is an Agent Orange disabled Veteran and cancer survivor.  He enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps 10 days after graduating from high school. While in boot camp at Marine Corp Recruit Depot Parris Island, South Carolina, he became an expert rifleman. This earned him his first stripe in boot camp. He graduated August 10, 1966 as a member of 3rd Battalion, Platoon 3029.  Subsequently,  he went to Camp Lejeune and Camp Pendelton California for additional training.  Ballard was shipped out to Vietnam on January 2, 1967.  He was a member of the 11th Engineer Battalion in Dong Ha, South Vietnam from 1967 to 1968 as a Combat Egineer.  During that time, he was awarded National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal, Meritorious Mast, Good Conduct Medal and Rifle Expert Badge. He attained the rank of Sergeant 1st Class in less than 2 years during his three years of active duty enlistment. He left Vietnam midway during the Tet Offensive of 1968. Following his tour in Vietnam, he was stationed at Marine Corps Supply Depot in Barstow California for the remainder of his active duty enlistment.  He served in the inactive reserves for another 3 years and received his honorable discharge from the Marine Corps in 1972 after 6 years of service. Ballard has resided in Montgomery County, Maryland for over 30 years with his wife Dr. Ballard and daughters Amber and Bria. 

Edgar S. Bankhead

Edgar S. Bankhead served 27 years in the U.S. Marine Corps. After earning a Political Science degree from Tuskegee University, he joined the Marine Corps and served five years as an officer. During this time, he was stationed in Vietnam from 1970 to 1971. After service he spent three years attending Seminary and graduated from Livingstone College. Bankhead then joined the U.S. Navy as a Chaplain where he served for 21 years and in that time was stationed in Okinawa Japan; Naval Base in San Diego serving aboard the USS William H. Stanley; Great Lakes Recruit Training Command; Camp LeJeune, North Carolina; the U.S. Naval War College, Rhode Island; La Maddalena, Italy; Bethesda Naval Hospital (now known as the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center); and the Pentagon.  He currently serves as a Chaplain at the DC VA Medical Center and is Pastor of First Agape Gibson Grove in Bethesda, Maryland. Bankhead has lived in Burtonsville, Maryland since 1991 with his wife Judi and three adult sons.

James V. Bartlett, Jr.

James Bartlett, Jr., served as a LTjg in the U.S. Navy during Vietnam. He has 30 years of service in the Navy Civil Engineer Corps, including 10 years of Active Duty from 1967 to 1988. He was stationed at Camp LeJeune, North Carolina; two Seabee tours in Vietnam; public works tours in Yokosuka, Japan, and as with the Strategic Systems Programs Office (TRIDENT) in Washington, DC.  He spent 20 years in the Reserves including a Commanding Officer tour. Bartlett retired as a Captain in 1997. Bartlee currently resides in Bethesda, Maryland.

Robin "Rob" Benson

Rob Benson was drafted into the U.S. Army in August 1966. He received basic training at Fort Gordon, Georgia, and Advanced Infantry Training at Fort Dix, New Jersey. He graduated from Infantry Office Candidate School in February 1967 and was stationed at Fort Belvoir, Virginia the same year. Benson served in Vietnam as a 1st LT with the 1st Infantry Division for most of 1968. He received the Vietnam Cross of Gallentry, Bronze Star and Silver Star Medal for his service in Vietnam. He grew up in Bethesda, Maryland and graduated from Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School.

E. Cecil Black

Lieutenant Colonel E. Cecil Black (Ret.) served 20.5 years in the U.S. Army as a Field Artillery Officer, a Parachutist, and a Senior Army Aviator in Vietnam, Germany, Korea, and multiple stateside locations. He earned numerous awards including 17 Air Medals, the Meritorious Service Medal and the Legion of Merit. Lieutenant Colonel Black also performed in research and developmentment roles for Army aviation and Army Combat Development. He currently resides in Montgomery County, Maryland.

Ricky Black

Ricky Black volunteered for the draft following the death of his brother. He served as a Sergeant in the 1st Cavalry (Airmobile) Division with the U.S. Army and received the Army Accommodation with a “V” device for heroism. Black retired after working 40 years. He currently resides in Silver Spring, Maryland with his wife Sandra. To learn more about Black, please view the documentary Honor and Gratitude: Chronicles of Montgomery County Vietnam Veterans

Brian "Jim" Bosch

Jim Bosch was born in 1937 in Connecticut. He studied History at Duke University and moved on to University of North Carolina where he earned his master’s degree in History. Upon his college graduation in 1960, he joined the Army and was commissioned in Infantry in Fort Ord, California. He initially worked with tanks. In 1964, he joined a new division, Military Intelligence, where he remained as an officer for 26 years until he retired. His new position allowed him to do a lot of travelling. Bosch was stationed in Korea, after the war, and also in Vietnam. As a Military Intelligence officer, he specialized in operations in Latin America. He was assigned to Panama and worked in the Dominican Republic Army Attaché as well as the Defense Attaché in El Salvador. He has also worked at the Pentagon on 3 different assignments. In 1990, Bosch retired from the Army as a Colonel, after serving for 30 years. He and his wife, Polly, have been married for 61 years, and have 2 daughters. They lived in Virginia prior to moving to Chevy Chase, Maryland where they now reside.

Timothy Brady

Timothy Brady served in the U.S. Navy from 1965 to 1969 as a Petty Officer 3rd Class (E-4). His specialty was Radarman, now known as Operations Specialist. Brady left for Vietnam on August 1968 aboard the USS Hugh Purvis DD709. He worked in the Combat Information Center (CIC) and was responsible for Antisubmarine Warfare, Naval Gunfire Support, Navigation, and other assorted tasks planning and executing the ship’s movements and combat missions. The ship provided gunfire support to the U.S. Marines, U.S. Army, ARVN, and Republic of Korea troops primarly in I Corps near the demilitarized zone. Brady received many awards including the Combat Action Ribbon, Meritorious Unit Commendation, Vietnam Service Medal with three Campaign Stars, Republic of Vietnam Meritorious Unit Citation-Gallantry, National Defense Service Medal, and Vietnam Campaign Medal. After his military service, he graduated with a BS in Human Resources from Columbia Union College. He retired as a Data Analyst from ADP Corporation in 2007. Brady moved to Rockville, Maryland with his family in 1955. He graduated from Richard Montgomery High School in 1965. 

Daniel J. Bullis

Sergeant Major Daniel J. Bullis served thirty-one years in the United States Army Medical Department as a medic. While serving in Vietnam in 1969 to 1970 he served with the 24th Evacuation Hospital treating casualties, prisoners of war and local children with injuries. During his career he served in numerous leadership positions culminating with his selection as the first Sergeant Major Army Medical Department / senior enlisted advisor to the Surgeon General, U.S. Army and Corps Chief of the Army Medical Department Hospital Corps. Bullis was also appointed as the first Regimental Sergeant Major of the Army Medical Department Regiment. In these positions he was responsible for providing advice concerning the health, welfare and training of 90,000 enlisted medical soldiers in both the active and reserve components.  View full profile

Terrence "Terry" Burns

Silver Spring native Terrence Burns was drafted in 1966 at the age of 19 amid the Vietnam War.  He began his basic training at Fort Bragg, North Carolina for 6 weeks and was then transferred to his MOS  (military occupational specialty)  in Fort Gordon, Georgia.  Burns was then shipped out to serve in Pleiku, Vietnam for a year (of his 2 year stent in the army) as a member of the 504 Military Police.  He was able to finish his last few months, serving in a prison unit at Fort Dix, New Jersey in 1968.  He came home and married the love of his life (Mary Burns) in 1969, where they were married just over 51 years. Together they lived in Damascus, Maryland, wh ere they had 9 children and currently have 12 grandchildren. Burns was a graduate of Montgomery Blair High School. He sadly passed away from COVID-19 at the end of November 2020. He was a true fighter until the end.

Stephen M. Campanella

Stephen Campanella was drafted into the U.S. Army on July 17th, 1968, on his 21st birthday. After infantry training, he was assigned to Company C 4/3, 11th Light Infantry Brigade stationed out of Duc Pho, Vietnam in early January 1969. In May 1969, Campanella was wounded. On July 17th, 1969, he was reassigned to Headquarters, Headquarters Company, American Division Headquarters in Chu Lai as the Protocol Driver for the Chief of Staff. He was then assigned as the personal driver for Brigadier General Edwin L. “Spec” Powell and then as the Personal Enlisted Aide to General Powell. Campanella was released from the U.S. Army early and returned to civilian life on February 17th, 1970. Campanella received the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star for his service in Vietnam. He was also awarded an Army Commendation Medal by General Powell. Campanella is a resident of Rockville, Maryland.  View full profile

Chester Chandler

Chester Chandler served in the U.S. Navy from 1973 to 1985 with the Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 3rd Signal Brigade. He was stationed in Saigon, Vietnam; Fort Hood, Texas; Hawaii; Germany; and Korea. Chandler aka “Memphis Gold” is an international bluesman who has brought the joy of music to hundreds of thousands of fans around the country, and around the world. Born in Memphis, Tennessee in 1955, he has long time ties to the Silver Spring, Maryland area. In 2009, former County Executive Isiah Leggett presented Chandler with a Certificate of Appreciation for his courage as one of the heroic rescuers of survivors, including 11 children, of the CSX train crash in Silver Spring, Maryland on February 16, 1996.

Fred Cherry, Sr.

Retired Air Force Colonel Fred Cherry lived in Silver Spring, Maryland until his death at age 87 in 2016. On Oct. 25, 1965, his F-105 Thunderchief fighter bomber was shot down over North Vietnam. He became the first black officer to become a prisoner of war in Vietnam. He spent seven years as a POW before being released on Feb. 12, 1973. He retired from the Air Force in 1981, with his last assignment at the Defense Intelligence Agency. He was awarded the Air Force Cross, the Silver Star, the Legion of Merit, two Distinguished Flying Crosses, two Bronze Stars, two Purple Hearts, the Meritorious Service Metal and the Outstanding Service to the Community Award from the Tuskegee Airmen.  View full profile

Bob Cissel

Bob Cissel served as Lance Corporal in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1968 to 1970. He joined the Marines with three of his best friends after graduating from Einstein High School in 1968. They left for Parris Island, South Carolina, for boot camp together in November 1968. While his three friends headed off to Vietnam after training, Cissel continued his tour of duty at Camp LeJeune, North Carolina. They all were honorably discharged in August 1970. The bond of these four is still strong after over 50 years.  After returning home, Cissel attended Montgomery College. His civilian career was in the outdoor industry starting at Hudson Trail Outfitters in Kensington, Maryland. He went on to start his own sales agency and retired in 2000 as a Vice President of Eastern Sales for North Face. Cissel is currently on the board of Directors of Agricultural Preservation Advisory Board, Global Solace, which installs solar energy in schools and clinics in third world countries. He is also the Director of the Montgomery Agricultural Produces and works closely with the Montgomery County Council and representatives in Annapolis on issues that challenge the Agricultural Community. Cissel was born in Takoma Park, Maryland and has lived in Montgomery County all his life. He currently resides in Poolesville, Maryland with his wife.

Steve Cohen

Steve Cohen served in the U.S. Navy as a Hospital Corpman 3rd Class from 1969 to 1973. He attended the Naval Hospital Corps School in Great Lakes, Illinois, and was stationed at the National Naval Medical Hospital (now Walter Reed National Medical Military Center) in Bethesda, Maryland. Cohen currently resides in Rockville, Maryland with his wife. They raised two daughters who also live in Montgomery County, Maryland.

Michael Cronin

A U.S. Navy pilot, he flew his first mission from the aircraft carrier Midway in May 1965. After two tours of duty and 175 missions, he was shot down over North Vietnam on Jan. 13, 1967. He was captured and held in captivity for six years and two months, finally released on March 4, 1973. He later served as a Navy flight instructor. The late North Potomac, Maryland resident was awarded two Silver Star medals, the Legion of Merit, the Distinguished Flying Cross, four Bronze Star medals, 15 air medals, two Purple Heart medals, two Navy Commendation medals, two Navy Unit Commendations and the Prisoner of War medal.  View full profile

Ilmars H. Dambergs

LTC Ilmars H. Dambergs, USA (Ret). served in the U.S. Army for 29 years, 8 months and 7 days starting on September 23, 1954. He retired in a splendid ceremony at Fort Myer, Virginia on May 30, 1984.  He received his commission as 2nd Lieutenant Infantry by graduating from Infantry Officer Candidate School (OSC) at Fort Benning, GA on May 29, 1956.  In May 2019, Dambgers was elected to the Infantry OCS Hall of Fame. Dambergs service, besides tours in the USA, includes nine years with Army units and staff in Europe and two tours in Republic of South Vietnam -- first tour 1964-65 as Senior Advisor to 22nd Vietnamese Ranger battalion, and the second in 1967-68  with 101st Airborne Division and as staff officer at 24th Corps. Dambergs was born in Latvia in moved to America in March 1950 with his parents as Displaced Persons from Germany. He and his wife Vera nee Binders, daughter Maija and son Robert moved to reside in Rockville in December 1979.  He currently lives in Silver Spring, Maryland.  View full profile

Patrick V. DeStefano

Patrick DeStefano enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1974. He completed basic training at the Naval Training Center, Orlando, Florida, and then attended the Naval Technical Training Center at Corry Station, Pensacola, Florida for Cryptologic Communications Operations training.  From there he was assigned to the Naval Communications Area Master Station, Eastern Pacific (NAVCAMSEASTPAC) providing secure worldwide Naval communications.  DeStefano was then transferred to the Naval Communications Station Aleutians Island Adak, Alaska where he again provided communications support to worldwide Naval operations until May 1978 when he was honorably separated from service as an E-5. DeStefano has lived in Montgomery County, Maryland most of his life and graduated from Colonel Zadok Magruder High School in June 1974. He has been married (37 years) to Stephanie Ferguson DeStefano, and they have three lovely daughters, Jessica, Heather, and Lindsay, and two darling grandchildren, Caroline and Ellie.  View full profile

Louis W. Dunham

Louis “Lou” Dunham enlisted in the U.S. Air Force after he graduated from Gaithersburg High School in 1969. He was stationed at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland where he trained as an aircraft mechanic and rose to the rank of Sergeant. He maintained and serviced AC-119K Stinger “flying boxcar” gunships assigned to missions over the Ho Chi Minh trail in Vietnam from 1971 to 1972. Dunham grew up in Potomac, Maryland and now lives in Rockville, Maryland.

Gail Hubbard Froelich

Gail Hubbard Froelich joined the U.S. Air Force after high school in June 6, 1964. She served as Secretary at McChord Air Force Base, Washington for her first year of duty. During her time there she taught Disaster Control and was fill in Secretary for base and wing commanders. She also received a certificate  of recognition for riding in a Command T-33 Jet Aircraft with the 325th Fighter Wing, McChord. Froelich also served as Secretary in Top Secret War Planning at Hickman Air Force Base, Hawaii, for three years. She was an Air Force Princess for a base Air Force birthday party while in Hawaii. Froelich ended her Air Force career as a Sergeant and was discharged on June 5, 1968 at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois. She moved to Silver Spring, Maryland in 2011 to be closer to her daughter and family after her husband passed away.

Gloria White Gardner

Gloria Gardner was a neuropsychiatric nurse, serving in the Navy from 1960-63 at Bethesda Naval Hospital. She has more 35 years of experience working for federal executive agencies in Washington, D.C., and with national and state nonprofit organizations and faith-based institutions. As a contractor for the U.S. Department of Commerce Patent and Trademark Office, she investigated and resolved cases regarding complaints of discrimination. Gardner was a resident of Rockville, Maryland. She passed away on June 18, 2023, at the age of 83.  View full profile

Sheldon A. Goldberg

Sheldon Goldberg enlisted in the U.S. Coast Guard Reserve in October 1955. He transferred to the U.S. Air Force in April 1956 and served just under five years as an enlisted airman (bandsman – SAC Command Band, USAFE Command Band) before being accepted to Officer Candidate School and receiving his commission in March 1961. Goldberg became a navigator flying transports (C-124, C-141) and later, a weapons systems officer, flying both the F-4 Phantom and the F-111 Aardvark fighters, accumulating more than 5,000 total flying hours. He flew 214 combat missions in Southeast Asia with the 497th TFS, the only night dedicated fighter squadron in the Air Force. Shortly after his return to the U.S., Goldberg then departed on what became three consecutive tours in Europe – flying F-111’s at RAF Upper Heyford, UK,  USAF Advisor to the Commandant, German General Staff College, Hamburg Germany, finally Air Policy Staff Officer, Hq AFCENT, Brunssum NL. Upon returning to the U.S., Goldberg was assigned to Air University, Maxwell AFB AL first on the faculty of Air Command and Staff College, and later the Associate School, Air War College. He retired from the Air Force on August 1, 1985. Goldberg moved to Montgomery County, Maryland upon his retirement. He attended the University of Maryland, College Park where he earned two MA’s and a Ph.D. View full profile

Mervyn L. "Bud" Goldstein

Mervyn Goldstein, MD, served in the U.S. Air Force from 1962 to 1964. He was originally rejected during his draft physical due to having a fractured arm and paralyzed hand, but he applied six months later after he recovered. The draft board was willing to let him serve as long as he provided a waiver that the government was not responsible for any future disability in any way related to the fracture.  Dr. Goldstein spent two years at the Amarillo Air Force Base hospital and was medical officer of the day the night of John F. Kennedy’s speech announcing the Cuban Missile Crisis. He witnessed their base become a fortress as part of Operation Chrome Dome, reflecting the vast number of B-52s filling the sky. Dr. Goldstein graduated from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, with summer sessions at U.C. Berkeley and the University of Colorado.  His medical and professional life was at Montefiore-Einstein. Dr. Goldstein currently resides in Rockville, Maryland with his wife. They moved here after his grandchildren relocated to Montgomery County, Maryland.

Edward C. Grapski

Edward Grapski served in the U.S. Marine Corps as a Corporal E-4 from November 2, 1965 to October 24, 1968. He served in Da Nang, Vietnam from October 1967 to October 1968 in the Interrogation Unit. Grapski was proud to serve with the Montgomery County Police Department in Patrol and as a Detective in Family Services from April 1974 to June 2002. He lived in Damascus, Maryland, with his wife Kathleen and their daughter Lauryn. Grapski passed away in December 2019. 

Elwood Raphael Gray, Jr.

Dr. Elwood Gray served in Vietnam in the 101st Airborne Division from 1962 to 1965. He went to serve as pastor of Peace in the Valley Baptist Church, as president of the Black Ministers Conference of Montgomery County, as president of the National Coalition of Prison Ministries and as a member of the alumni at the Howard University School of Divinity. Dr. Gray is the editor of “The Messenger,” a newsletter published by the National Coalition of Prison Ministries. Dr. Gray is a resident of Silver Spring, Maryland. View full profile

William "Bill" Gray

Bill Gray was drafted in 1966 and then enlisted in the Army for photography. While in basic training he applied to Officer Candidate School (OCS). He was accepted and went to Infantry OCS at Fort Benning, Georgia. Prior to his Vietnam service, Gray was a Platoon Leader in the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. He was promoted to First Lieutenant in the 4th Infantry Division in the Pleiku area of Vietnam’s Central Highlands. He was awarded the Silver Star and the Purple Heart for service in Vietnam. Following his combat tour, he was assigned to the 6th Cavalry Regiment at Fort George G. Meade, Maryland, and then to the S-4 supply office for the installation. Gray currently resides in Silver Spring, Maryland.  View full profile

William H. Griswold

Dr. William Griswold (Colonel) was in the U.S. Army for 22 years. He served in the Dental Corps during Vietnam.  After Vietnam, he was stationed at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland. Dr. Griswold graduated from The University of Maryland in College Park and from the Dental School in Baltimore where he also was a professor after he retired.  He proudly worked for his son Dr. Gary Griswold in Montgomery Village, Maryland as a prosthodontist as well. Dr. Griswold also worked for Montgomery County Public Schools as a school bus driver after he retired from the University. A recipient of many awards and medals both in the Army and at the University, Dr. Griswold is also proud of his other three children Gregory, Pamela, and Sandra, twelve grandchildren, and twelve great-grandchildren.  He has lived in Montgomery County, Maryland with his wife Lucille for almost 40 years, with the exception of a three-year stint in Germany.

William Edward Hackett

William Hackett was drafted from law school in 1969 into the U.S. Army for Vietnam war service. He served in combat for 14 months until 1971 in a Fire Direction Control battery.  He was tasked with calculating data for artillery fired in support of the Americal Division in I Corps. Hackett’s specialty also involved collecting and communicating intelligence information.  He was awarded three Army Commendation Medals as a Private First Class & Specialist 4th Class. After an honorable discharge, he was treated for PTSD and injury. Hackett later restarted law school at the University of Maryland and became a member of the DC Bar. He was employed as a Staff Attorney for the U.S. Board of Veterans Appeals. He and his wife, Ines, lived in an apartment in Silver Spring, Maryland from 1974 to 1976.  In 1992, they moved to a house in Rockville, Maryland where Hackett still resides today. He and Ines were married for 45 years before she died in 2019. 

Otto Gregory Vincent Hamilton

Gregory Hamilton served in the U.S. Navy in 1969 to 1970, including an assignment on the USS Hickman County LST 825. His post-military career included 20 years as a printing services/mail desk supervisor for the Washington Post. In 1987, he was elected to the Takoma Park City Council. While in Vietnam, he was exposed to Agent Orange and spent much of his life battling the health effects. He was a member of Rolling Thunder Maryland and for many years was among the volunteers who wash and maintain the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Hamilton died on March 10, 2012.   View full profile

Clarence R. Hickey

Clarence Hickey served on active duty in the U.S. Army from July 1966 to July 1968 as a Specialist E-5. During his time on active duty, he served as a medical laboratory specialist and blood banker at the U.S. Army Hospital, Fort Campbell, Kentucky, and managed other hospital medic duties as assigned. The Hospital served ands upported the 101st Airborne Division of the U.S. Third Army, Fort Campbell. Hickey helped to run a program that collected units of blood on post and shipped them to Walter Reed Army Medical Center, DC, where it was used to help the war wounded being treated there. Some of the blood also went to Vietnam. Hickey was also part of a team of medics who operated a blood donation center at the Army Hospital.  He also served two years of active reserves and two years of inactive reserves and received his formal honorable discharge from the U.S. Army in 1973. Hickey moved to Maryland in 1976 to work for the federal government. He is a retired marine biologist and environmental scientist. He currently resides in Rockville, Maryland.

David Allen Hobbs

David Hobbs served in the U.S. Army as a Specialist 4 from 1965 to 1967. He was drafted at the age of 23 after several deferments. He was stationed at Fort Bragg, North Carolina; Fort Benning, Georgia; Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland; and Lai Khe, Vietnam where he worked on Huey helicopters. He received the Good Conduct Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, National Defense Service Medal, and Vietnam Campaign Medal. Hobbs graduated from Sherwood High School in 1959. He is a life-time member of the Sandy Spring Volunteer Fire Department. He died on September 18, 2020. He was married to his wife Cathy for 53 years.

Arthur Holmes, Jr.

Major General Holmes served almost four decades in the U.S. Army. A highly distinguished officer, the awards and decorations he earned included the Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star Medal and the Distinguished Service Medal. He served in Vietnam in 1971. In 1991, he was inducted into the 1999 Ordinance Corps Hall of Fame. Major General Holmes later served for seven years on the Montgomery County Planning Board. For 10 years, he was director of the County’s Department of Public Works and Transportation. Major General Holmes currently resides in Olney, Maryland.  View full profile

Thomas Anthony Hosinski

Thomas Hosinski served in the U.S. Air Force from November 1966 to November 1970. He was stationed in DaNang and Dongha in Vietnam for one year in 1969. Hosinski has lived in Montgomery County since 1958 and was a Montgomery County Police Officer from 1970 to 2003. He currently lives in Clarksburg, Maryland with his wife Karen.

Ronald T. Humphries

Ronald Humphries served in the U.S. Army as an E-4 Specialist from 1970 to 1974. He attended basic training at Fort Dix, New Jersey and Advanced Individual Training at Fort Rucker, Alabama where he became an aircraft crewman. He was then sent with the 101st Airborne, 163rd Aviation Company at Camp Eagle in Hue Phu Bai, Vietnam where he served from April 1971 to March 72. During that time he served as a crew chief on a Hughes OH-6A helicopter. Humphries grew up in Kensington, Maryland and graduated from Albert Einstein High School.

Preston Jamison

Preston Jamison was drafted into the U.S. Army in October 1965 during the Vietnam War. He attended basic training at Fort Jackson, South Carolina. After graduating from basic, he went to advanced individual training at Fort Sam Houston, Texas, in January 1966. He was assigned to the 44th Medical Brigade in Long Bien, South Vietnam on January 12, 1967.  Jamison lives in Wheaton, Maryland with Sherry, his wife of over 50 years. They have 3 sons, 11 grandchildren, and 3 great grandchildren. Jamison is a member of Allen Chapel A.M.E. Church located in East Montgomery County, Maryland.

Herman "Mike" Johnson

Herman Johnson entered into the armed services during World War II and proudly served with the 92nd Infantry Division, an African-American infantry division of the U.S. Army that served in both World War I and World War II. After a short return to civilian life, he re-enlisted with the U.S. Army, serving in the Korean War and at age 51 in the Vietnam War. During his military career, Johnson earned 15 various medals with the most distinguished being the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star. He completed 24 years of service and retired at the rank of Staff Sergeant. Johnson previously resided in Gaithersburg, Maryland. He passed away at the age of 82 on November 29, 1998.

Harvey T. Kaplan

Colonel Harvey T. Kaplan’s service in the U.S. Army for 27 years included a broad spectrum of assignments from 1963 to 1990. During that time, he was stationed in the U.S., Europe, and served two tours in Vietnam. He was assigned mostly with Corps of Engineers units as well as several roles in Department of Defense elements (Joint Assignments), including at the Pentagon. Vietnam assignments included duty as a Combat Engineer Company Commander with the 19th Engineer Battalion in the Qui Nhon area, an Engineer Supply Officer with the 168th Combat Engineer Battalion in Lai Khe, and an Engineer Staff Officer (S-4) with the 159th Engineer Construction Group in Long Binh. Colonel Kaplan's awards included the Defense Meritorious Service Medal and the Bronze Star Medal (1OLC). He has resided in the Rockville, Maryland area since 1983.

John J. Kenney

John Kenney served in the military during the Vietnam-Era from September 1972 to December 1974. Following Boot Camp at Fort Dix, New Jersey, “Jay” was assigned to the U.S. Army Agency for Aviation Safety (USAAVS) at Fort Rucker, Alabama, as a Research Psychologist. He spent the next two years conducting research in human-factors engineering focusing on ways to improve rotary wing aircraft (helicopter) and pilot safety. He was also active in the Catholic Youth Organization and the Special Olympics for Army dependents and the local community.  Kenney passed away on September 22, 2022 after a three-year battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). He lived in Rockville, Maryland with his wife Nancie and is the proud father of two children, Aidan and Brigit.  View full profile

William Michael Ladds

Michael Ladds served four years in the U.S. Air Force as a SSGT from 1966 to 1970. He served three years at Dover Air Force Base, Delaware on the flight line and one year Vietnam from May 1969 to May 1970 with nine months spent in Pleiku and three months in Bien Hoa. Ladds was awarded the Airmen’s Medal for existinguishing a fire on a U.S. Army refueling tanker that was attempting to offload to their bulk storage system. Ladds currently resides in Olney, Maryland.

Charles Floyd Lee

Charles Lee served in the U.S. Army Medical Corps as a 1st Lieutenant from 1967 to 1969. After graduating from law school with a deferred ROTC commission from college, he completed basic Medical Service Corps branch training at Fort Sam Houston, Texas, and finished his first year of military service as Assistant Adjutant at Womack Army Hospital, Fort Bragg, North Carolina. In September 1968, Lee was sent to Vietnam leaving behind his wife to take care of their daughter who was under two years old and their son who was eight days old. He was stationed in Long Bieh all year as an Assistant Adjutant with the 68th Medical Group. He traveled throughout the lower half of Vietnam checking on the 13 different medical facilities run by the 68th Medical Group. Lee moved to Montgomery County, Maryland, in 1972 to work with the VA Central Office in Washington, DC. After a number of years with the VA Central Office, he took a job as a counsel for the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee and later moved to the House Veterans Affairs Committee as a counsel, retiring in 2000, after almost ten years on the Hill. In 1998, Lee served for a year on a Special Congressional Committee to determine what VA benefits should be considered by Congress for Veterans in the 20th century. Such a commision involved travel to interview veterans stationed in remote areas of Europe and Asia.

Isiah Leggett

From January to December 1969, Isiah “Ike” Leggett served as a captain in the United States Army during the Vietnam War, first in combat with a Military Advisory Unit attached to the Army of the Republic of Vietnam and then as a public affairs officer with the 7th Support Battalion/199th Light Infantry Brigade. He was awarded the Bronze Star Medal, the Vietnam Service and Vietnam Campaign Medals. He was the first African American to be elected to the Montgomery County Council, serving four terms starting in 1986. His colleagues elected him as Council President three times. He introduced legislation that created the Montgomery County Commission on Veterans Affairs in 2008 and he led the dedication of the County’s Vietnam War Memorial in May 2018.   View full profile

Stephen E. Lowenstein

Captain Stephen E. Lowenstein served on active duty in the U.S. Army from 1969 to 1972 and the Ready Reserves from 1972 to 1974. He was Commissioned as a 2LT in June 1969 and completed Infantry Officer Basic School at Fort Benning, Georgia and Vehicle Maintenance Course at Fort Knox, Kentucky. He was assigned as a Battalion Maintenance Officer and was stationed in Manheim, Germantown from May 1970 to April 1971. After being promoted to 1LT, he served first as Platoon Leader then Company Executive Officer for the 2nd Infantry Division in the Vietnamese Demilitarized Zone in South Korea from May 1971 to March 1972. He was released to Active Reserve status in April 1972 where he was assigned to a Vehicle Maintenance and Support Battalion in New Jersey. In January 1974, he was promoted to Captain and was released to standby reserves in April 1974. Captain Lowestein currently resides in North Bethesda, Maryland.

Tom Lucas

Tom Lucas served in the Marine Corps as a Corporal in the Third Marine Amphibious Force (III MAF) during the Vietnam War from 1965 to 1966. He served in various duties including supply, admin, and perimeter security detail in Danang, Vietnam, and then mustered out at G-3 Operations/Henderson Hall, Virginia. Lucas  graduated from Walter Johnson High School and Eastern Academy with a degree in Police Sciences. He spent many years in law enforcement and established a security company providing the community with sales and services for security hardware. Lucas is  a lifelong resident of Montgomery County and currently resides in Colesville, Maryland.

Paul A. McAllister

Paul McAllister served as an Officer in the U.S. Navy  from 1969 to 1977. Commissioned an Ensign in June 1969, he started Navy Flight Training at Pensacola, Florida later that month. After completing Carrier Landing Qualifications, he went to advanced training in Corpus Christi, Texas,  was designated as a Naval Aviator in November 1970 , transitioned to the P-3 Orion Aircraft and assigned to Patrol Squadron Eight in Brunswick, Maine where  he served from 1971-1974. Qualified as a Patrol Plane Commander and Mission Commander, he flew numerous anti-submarine missions over the North and South Atlantic, Caribbean, and Mediterranean. In 1974 he was assigned to the Naval ROTC Unit at Northwestern University as Assistant Professor of Naval Science. McAllister left active duty in 1977 and was promoted shortly thereafter to Lieutenant Commander. He and his wife Ginger have lived in Montgomery County, Maryland since 1986 where they have raised six daughters.

E. Jane McCarthy

Captain Jane McCarthy joined the Army Nurse Corps in 1968 while she was attending Massachusetts General Hospital School of Nursing. After the six weeks of basic training in Texas, she was stationed at Walter Reed Army Medical Center for ten months in the Recovery Room/Intensive Care Unit. Then, at age 22, with that minimal experience under her belt, she was shipped out to the 95th Evacuation Hospital in DaNang, South Vietnam where she worked in the pre-operative and receiving area as a triage nurse, separating patients based on severity of injuries and what medical treatments were needed. Sometimes, all she could do was hold a soldier’s hand as he breathed his last breath. Captain McCarthy previously resided in Olney, Maryland. View full profile

Charles McGee

Brigadier General Charles McGee is a retired pilot who was one of the Tuskegee Airmen and a career officer in the U.S. Air Force for 30 years who flew a total of 409 combat missions in World War II, Korea and Vietnam. McGee has been recognized for his combat and military service with a number of awards including: Distinguished Flying Cross with two Oak Leaf Clusters, Legion of Merit with one Oak Leaf Cluster, Bronze Star, Air Medal with 25 Oak Leaf Clusters, Army Commendation Medal, Congressional Gold Medal, Presidential Unit Citation, Korean Presidential Unit Citation, Hellenic Republic World War II Commemorative Medal along with related campaign and service ribbons. He is a member of the National Aviation Hall of Fame.  Brigadier General McGee passed away on January 16, 2022 in Bethesda, Maryland. He was 102 years old.  View full profile

Wayne L. Miller

Wayne Miller graduated from Albert Einstein High School. He joined the US Marine Corps in June 1968 at the age of 17. He served in Vietnam December 17, 1968 to July 4, 1969. He served with Kilo Company 3rd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division in Quang Nam Province, South Vietnam I Corps. He was severely wounded and discharged February 1, 1970. He still resides in Montgomery County, Maryland with his wife and family.  He is the Director of the Silver Spring Vet Center and serves as Chair of the Montgomery County Commission on Veterans Affairs. View full profile

Thomas D. Murphy

Thomas Murphy enlisted in the U.S. Army in Vietnam as a PFC in the 25th Infantry Division. He enlisted in June 1968 after President Lyndon Johnson had ended all graduate school deferments a few months before. he Tet offensive had just taken place and the Army needed soldiers. Virtually every one of his college buddies was in the same precarious situation of getting drafted even before the summer of 1968 ended. He enlisted that June rather than wait for the dreaded draft notice to arrive in mailbox. In June 1969, his unit was on patrol in an area known as Parrot’s Peak, close to the Cambodian border. While out on combat patrol missions “You just wore a shirt, boots and as much ammunition as you could carry and slog through the triple-canopy jungle,” said Murphy. “That has, in effect, ruled who I am… And there isn’t a day that what happened to me, either subconsciously or very consciously, affects me.” Murphy has resided in Rockville, Maryland with his wife Mary Barron Murphy and family for over 40 years.  View full profile

Julia Musson

Julia Musson is a Vietnam-era Veteran who served 8 years in the U.S. Navy. She completed boot camp in Orlando, Florida in 1974 and avionics training at the Naval Air Station in Memphis, Tennessee in 1975. She served as a Training Device Operations and Maintenance Technician from 1975 to 1984. Musson currently resides in Montgomery County, Maryland.

Stanley Myles

Stanley Myles joined the U.S. Army on August 8, 1968. He completed basic training at Fort Polk, Louisiana (August to October 1968), Combat Engineer Training at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri (October to December 1968), and temporary duty as a training instructor at Fort Leonard Wood (January – March 1969). Myles was stationed in South Vietnam in Company D, 20th Engineer Battallion, in II Corps (Central Highlands) from April 11, 1969 to March 30, 1970. Throughout his time in Company D, the unit was engaged in road paving and fortifications construction. His duties included radio operator, generator mechanic, inventory manager, and operations manager. Myles separated from service on April 1, 1970 at Fort Lewis, Washington. He has lived in Laytonsville, Maryland since 1994.

Bob Norton

After graduating college in 1966, Bob Norton enlisted in the U.S. Army. While in basic training he applied and was accepted to attend infantry Officer Candidate School at Fort Benning, Georgia. Norton was commissioned a 2LT in August 1967 and was deployed to Vietnam in August 1968 after completing a civil affairs assignment in Fort Lee, Virginia. Norton was promoted to 1LT in country and was assigned as a civil affairs platoon leader attached to the S-5 of the 196th Infantry Brigade in I Corps. After completing his tour of duty in 1969, Norton transferred to the U.S. Army Reserves and began a career as a high school English teacher on Long Island, New York. Norton and his wife Colleen have been married 50 years and have two children and three grandchildren, all girls. The couple resides in Derwood, Maryland.  View full profile

Joseph Mario Novello

Joseph Novello served in the U.S. Marine Corps as a Sergeant E-5 from 1968 to 1972. He served in Vietnam in 1969 in Hoi An just north of Danang and was assigned to the 7th Communication Battalion and the 2nd Republic of Korea Marine Division. After leaving the Marine Corps, Novello went on to become a Montgomery County Polic eOfficer from 1972 to 1984 when he was injured in a high-speed crash. After, he went on to work for Hughes Network Systems in Germantown and Shady Grove Adventist Hospital. Novello grew up in Rockville, Maryland, graduated from Richard Montgomery High School and attended the University of Maryland.

Roger J. Oldham

Roger Oldham, M.D., began his two year military service in the Navy in July, 1971, at the Naval Amphibious Base, Coronado, California, home to the SEAL team.  Following a month of orientation, he was assigned as the Medical Officer to the Marine Advisory Unit in Saigon, an elite cadre of Marine Corps officers on their second or third tours to Vietnam.  For nine months,  Oldham served as the advisor to the Vietnamese Marine Corps physicians and surgeons at their hospital in Tu Duc, just outside of Saigon, performing surgery and procuring supplies from U.S. facilities as they were closing.  After Vietnam, Oldham served 12 months at the Long Beach Naval Hospital and the Repose Hospital Ship. After leaving Long Beach, Oldham returned to civilian life and resumed his general surgery residency at George Washington University, followed by a two year plastic surgery residency in Chicago.  With his training completed, he established his private practice of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery in Bethesda, Maryland in 1979 and his wife Susan soon attended Georgetown Law.  They have lived in Montgomery County, Maryland ever since. The Oldhams have been married for 52 years and have three children and four grandchildren. In August, 2021, Oldham retired from his 40 year practice of plastic surgery.  He continues to get together with his Marine Corps buddies at periodic reunions. View full profile

Landon D. Pippin

Landon Pippin served in the U.S. Navy as a Petty Officer ETN2 from 1965 to 1969. He served on the USS Hunley AS-31 Nuclear Submarine Tender as a Data Systems Tech. He graduated Wheaton High School in 1962. Pippin retired from Montgomery County Fire & Rescue in 1995.

Fred Pollard

Fred Pollard entered the U.S. Army in January of 1967. He worked as a Non-Morse Signals collector with the U.S. Army Security Agency and U.S. Army Intelligence and Security Command and retired on February 1, 1987. He continued his service to his country while employed with Martin Marietta (now Lockheed Martin) in Baltimore working on Military Programs for 8 1/2 years. In 1995, Pollard worked for the U.S. Navy working on Military Programs and retired after 46 years of Government Service in 2022 at the age of 73 with a combined continuous service to his country for almost 55 years. He currently resides in Montgomery Village, Maryland.

Bradley Post

Bradley Post proudly served in the U.S. Navy during the Vietnam War conflict from 1966 to 1972. For the duration of his service, he served aboard a Guided Missile Cruiser, USS Columbus (CG-12). Post was with the Executive Division aboard the ship and ended his career as a 3rd Class Petty Officer. After his service, he worked 40 years with the printing industry in Washington, DC, and worked for 10 years with the Montgomery County Department of Recreation. Post is currently a member of the Washington-Rockville Elks and American Legion Post 268. He has lived in Montgomery County, Maryland all his life and grew up in Chevy Chase, Rockville and Silver Spring.

Willie Dean Price, Sr.

Willie Price, Sr., served in the U.S. Army as a Staff Sergeant E-6 from 1961 to 1967. He first served at Walter Reed Army Medical Center (also known as Walter Reed Army Hospital) and then at the U.S. Army Edgewood Chemical Biological Center in Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland. He served in the Medical Corp in Vietnam. After returning to civilian life, Price was employed by Group Health Association in Washington, D.C. and Takoma Park, Maryland, and also worked at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. He moved to Wheaton, Maryland with his family in 1968. He currently resides in Olney, Maryland where he has lived since 1971.

Charles A. Ray

Charles Ray enlisted in the U.S. Army in July 1962. After service in Germany, he attended Officer Candidate School at Fort Sill, Oklahoma and was commissioned 2d Lieutenant.  He served again in Germany, then served two tours in Vietnam (1968-1969, 1972-1973), and two tours in South Korea (1973-1976 and 1979-1981). Ray completed Special Forces training in 1967 and Intelligence training in 1969. He retired as a U.S. Army Major. After retirement, he joined the U.S. Foreign Service and served as diplomat (including two postings as a U.S. ambassador in Cambodia and Zimbabwe), and as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for POW/Missing Personnel Affairs. Ray has been a Montgomery County, Maryland resident since 1988.

Donald Reamer

Donald Reamer was drafted into the Vietnam War in 1966 at the age of 19. Before his draft draft, he enlisted in the U.S. Army for three years and began his basic training at Ft. Jackson, South Carolina. Reamer joined the 9th Infantry Division, 15th Engineering Battalion and was shipped to Vietnam in September 1966 to build a home base at Camp Bear Cat near Siagon. For the last four months of his tour, Reamer transferred to an engineering batallion near the Cambodian border to support infracture building. For his remaining 15 months, he was stationed at Ft. Bliss, Texas as a personnel specialist. Upon returning home, he attended American University and the University of Maryland earning a MS and PhD in Chemistry. During his career he worked in the chemisty, software development, and IT health care fields. Reamer has lived in Montgomery Village, Maryland for the last 35 years and in Maryland since 1972. He has four children and 5 grandchildren. View full profile

David Rechenbacher

David Rechenbach was drafted into the U.S. Army at the age of 30 in 1965 and served until 1969. He trained in military intelligence at Fort Holabird in Baltimore, Maryland. He was then deployed to Hue, Vietnam where he scouted the Mekong Delta for North Vietnamese infiltration. After, Rechenbach was sent to scout the Vietnam/Cambodian border. He became lost and stole a train to make his way back to camp safely. He then trained military forces of South Vietnam in the use of U.S. supplied military weapons. When his tour of duty ended in 1968, he spent time at Fort Pendleton, California, training troops in the use of the weapons that they were assigned. His last assignment was in D.C. where he helped the D.C. police handle the riots following the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Rechenbach lived in Montgomery County, Maryland from 1958 to 1972. He suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder until his death in 2012. 

Vernon H. Ricks, Jr.

Vernon Ricks served in the Air Force’s 341st Wing, Strategic Air Command, from 1961 to 1965 as a missile technician and teletype/crypto specialist. He went on to work for Xerox, where he rose to become the manager of field services. Throughout his career, he devoted his time to serving as a mentor to young African Americans. Ricks was the first black elected municipal official in Montgomery County, serving as councilmember and mayor pro-term in the City of Takoma Park from 1972-82. He is a member of the Mount Zion United Methodist Church in Georgetown, the oldest African American congregation in Washington, D.C., where he serves as chair of the Trustee Board. Ricks was a resident of Potomac, Maryland.  View full profile

Victor Rosenblum

Victor Rosenblum served as a member of the Medical Service Corps, U.S. Army for 21 years as a Medical Logistics Officer, retiring as a Major. Duty stations included Fort Sam Houston, Texas; Fort Hood, Texas; Fort Huachuca, Arizona; Washington, DC; Korea; Vietnam; and two three-year tours in Germany. Unit assignments included 3/12 ^th Cavalry, Buedingen Germany; US Army Medical Depot, Einsiedlerhof, Germany; US Army Hospital, Augsburg, Germany; 6th Medical Depot, Ascom City, Korea; 32nd Medical Depot, Long Binh, Vietnam; U.S. Army Hospital, Fort Huachuca, Arizona; Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Washington DC; HQ 3rd Corps Office of the Surgeon, Fort Hood, Texas; and Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Washington DC. Decorations included the Bronze Star, the Meritorious Service Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters, and the Army Commendation Medal. Rosenblum has been a resident of Montgomery County, Maryland since 1982.

Dennis M. St. Jean

Dennis St. Jean served in the U.S. Air Force as an E4 Sergeant from May 1967 to June 1974. He completed basic training at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, where he was assigned as a Data Systems Technician. His first assignment was as a computer operator at Ent Air Force Base, Colorado where he operated large scale mainframes at a backup facility for the Cheyenne Mountain complex. After two years he was reassigned to Tan Son Knut Air Force Base, Saigon, Vietnam from June 1969 to June 1970 as a computer operator in the main financial and commissary building across from the heliport. After being honorably discharged, Sergeant St. Jean reenlisted and was assigned to the Air Force Data Services Center (AFDSC) located in the Pentagon. He was based at Fort Myer, Virginia. As the Vietnam War was winding down, he volunteered to go offsite to the Defense Communication Facility in Reston, Virginia. There computer tapes, with information on possible location of missing prisoner of war, were delivered to him nightly to print. Printouts were then returned to Air Force intelligence officials to help them in trying to locate prisoners of war. He ended his Air Force career there in June 1974 and began as a civil servant at the Defense Communication Agency in the same field. He ended his 40 year federal career in 2007 as a GS-15 Assistant Division Chief for Information Technology Infrastructure at the U.S. Secret Service. Sergeant St. Jean became a Montgomery County resident in 1973.

Charles Shyab

Charles Shyab was drafted into the U.S. Army in June 1967. He was sent to Fort Sam Houston, Texas,  where he trained as a field medic. After 18 weeks of basic and advanced individual training, he was sent to Vietnam, serving with the 4th Infantry Division, 1/22 Infantry, Charlie Company. The 4th Division was stationed in the Central Highlands going against the North Viet Nam Regular Army to do search and destroy missions near the Ho Chi Min trail.  On February 2nd, Charlie Company was flown into the city of Kontum during the TET Offensive to give protection to the city as it was under attack. When Shyab returned to the states he was assigned to DeWitt Army Hospital at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, where he served in the emergency room. After being honorably discharged, he completed his Bachelor’s in Education at Columbia Union College and Washington Adventist University. He served in education until 2008. Shyab resided in Takoma Park, Maryland from 1962 to 1968. He received a Bronze Star from U.S. Senator Barbara Mikulski in 2012. View full profile

Nathan "Nat" Sisco

Nathan Sisco served as a Staff Sergeant in the U.S. Air Force from 1967 to 1975. He served at Tan Son Nhut Air Base, Republic of Vietnam from 1968 to 1969 and at the U.S. Army Aviation Training Center, Fort Rucker, Alabama from 1969 to 1971. From 1971 to 1975, he served in the 89th Military Airlift Wing, Special Air Missions. Sisco graduated from Walter Johnson High School in 1966. He has been a Montgomery County, Maryland resident since 1959 and has resided in Gaithersburg, Maryland since 1977.

Lawrence James Stark

Lawrence Stark was working for the Department of Labor in Washington, D.C. when he was invited to go to Vietnam and work for a consortium of contractors (RMK-BRJ) under contract to DoD. Stark accepted the invitation and went to Vietnam in April 1966 and spent a year with RMK-BRJ before returning to the United States. After a couple months, Stark returned to Vietnam and was hired as a U.S. Navy civil service employee. Stark was later assigned to work in the city of Huế in December 1967. In the early morning hours of January 31, 1968, a division-sized force of the People’s Army of Vietnam (PAVN) and Viet Cong (VC) soldiers launched a coordinated attack, known as the Tet Offensive, on the city of Huế. After fighting off attacks for two days with practically no ammunition left with which to defend himself, Stark was finally captured on February 1, 1698. Stark was one of only two Department of Defense civilian employees who were captured. Stark currently resides in Bethesda, Maryland.  View full profile

Michael L. Subin

Michael Subin served in the Navy during the Vietnam Era. After enlisting in the Naval Reserve in April 1970, he served on the USS Shreveport. He was the ship’s boatswain, combat information center officer, nuclear weapons officer, intelligence officer and squadron boat group commander. He also served as an underway officer of the deck (fleet) and command duty officer. He served in Operation Desert Shield in 1992. He retired in 2003 with the rank of captain. He was elected to the Montgomery County Council in 1986 and served five terms. During his tenure, Subin, who is now an Olney resident, was elected by his peers to serve three terms as Council President.  View full profile

Blake Kinzie Thomas

Blake Thomas served in the U.S. Marine Corps as a Captain. He served two 13-month tours in Vietnam from 1964 to 1965 in the Military Assistance Command Vietnam, Advisory Command, 3rd Battalion, 9th Marines patrolling in the Da Nang area. From 1965 to 1968 he was assigned to the Marine Ceremonial Guard Marine Barracks in Washington D.C. and served as Assistant Security Officer at Camp David from 1965 to 1967. Thomas also served as Company Commander, S3 Operations Officer, 3rd Battalion, 27th Marines during TET 1968 and was the Officer in Charge of Intelligence Production for Northern South Vietnam, G2, 3rd Marine Amphibious Force. He graduated from The Bullis School in Potomac, Maryland.

Willie Vaughn

Willie Vaughn enlisted in the U.S. Army and served in Active Duty at Fort Polk, Louisiana; Fort Meade, Maryland; Fort Monroe, Virginia; Germany, Korea, Vietnam (2 tours) and  finally at Walter Reed Army Medical Center (WRAMC), Washington, D.C. During his military career he served in logistics and received the Good Conduct Medal Bronze Clasp with 5 loops; National Defense Service Medal; Vietnam Service Medal with 4 Stars; Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal; andExpert (Rifle M-14 and M-16).  Upon completion of military service, Vaughn entered the Federal government as an employee of the Logistics Division, WRAMC and retired in 2002 from the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology. He lived in Silver Spring, Maryland, for over 30 years with his wife Cheryl and two children. Vaughn passed away in 2006.

Robert C. Wagner

Robert Wagner enlisted in the U.S. Army in September 1966. He completed basic training at Fort Bragg, North Carolina and advanced training at Fort Dix, New Jersey. He was selected for Artillery Officer Candidate School at Fort Sill, Oklahoma and was commissioned a 2LT in August 1967 at the age of 19. He spent one year at Fort Hood, Texas, before spending a year in Vietnam as an artillery forward observer and then firing battery executive officer. Wagner graduated from Wheaton High School in 1965. After being discharged, he returned to the University of Maryland and graduated with a BS in Accounting in 1972.

Ernest Walker

Ernest Walker served in the U.S. Navy during Vietnam as a Torpedoman’s Mate Third Class, from September 3, 1965 to September 2, 1969. He served aboard the USS Perkins (DD-877) with two tours to the Western Pacific and Vietnam and one tour to the same areas aboard the USS Robert L. Wilson (DD-847). Walker currently resides in Kensington, Maryland.

Hubert Clifford Walker, Jr.

Colonel Hubert Clifford Walker, Jr., arrived at Takhli Royal Thai Air Force Base in Thailand on November 28, 1967, and began flying combat missions for the 41st Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron. He was shot down six weeks later on January 14, 1968. All seven on board were successfully ejected. Walker along with three others landed in a valley where they were immediately captured by the North Vietnamese. According to the prisoners, they were transported separately to Hanoi by foot, bamboo raft and jeep. As they neared the city, each man’s treatment grew worse. The civilians abused the men as they were paraded like trophies through towns and villages along the route. Once in the prison system, they were beaten by guards during military interrogation. There was never enough food and water, and medical treatment was rare. Walker spent 1,886 days or 5 years and 2 months in captivity and was released on March 5, 1973. Walker currently resides in North Bethesda, Maryland, with his wife Viki. They have one son together. Walker has two daughters with his former wife. View full profile

R. Garry Walker

Garry Walker reported to basic training after completing college in 1969. He attended the U.S. Army Intelligence School at Fort Holabird, Maryland where he became an Intelligence Agent. Afterwards, he was sent to Vietnam and supported the Americal Infantry Division for 5 months before being transferred to a classified program known as Phoenix. Walker was trained by the CIA and Navy Seals and was assigned to Kien Binh District in the Delta as a Phoenix Advisor for the District. His task was to identify the Viet Cong infrastructure and to determine the best way to “neutralize” their duties. Upon completing his tour in Vietnam, he received a Bronze Star Medal and was assigned to the Pentagon in a Counterintelligence Group where he performed assigned investigations, assisting the Secret Service and the Secretary of Defense’s office. Walker completed three years of service in 1971 with the rank of Sergeant. He previously resided in Gaithersburg, Maryland and graduated from Gaithersburg High School.

Michael Walsh

Michael Walsh was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1966 and served as a Specialist E-4 a year after he graduated from Good Counsel High School in Wheaton. His assignment was working on a boat that ferried supplies up and down the Mekong River. Walsh says, “We received our fair share of fire from the shore. The Mekong River in places is very narrow and there are a lot of hair pin turns.” But it’s what happened to Walsh on the very day he went home that still haunts him. “There’s a place where we used to go when we were off duty. And the day I left it was hit pretty hard. I don’t know what the total number of guys killed was but four guys that I had lunch with that day were dead,” says Walsh. Walsh says he received his orders a week early. Under normal circumstances he probably would have been in that bar with his buddies when they were killed.  View full profile

Jerome "Jerry" White

Jerome White served in the U.S. Navy as Rank AW3 from 1969 to 1972. He served in three tours in Vietnam in 1970, 1971, and 1972 working in shipping surveillance off the coast of Vietnam in P-3 Orion aircraft. White has lived in Montgomery County, Maryland since 1976 and had previously lived here during 1965 to 1966. 

Glen Barry Wolff

Glen Wolff enlisted in the U.S. Air Force from 1968 to 1972 as an aircraft maintenance specialist. He served a year in Thailand with the 436th Organizational Maintenance Squadron and the 16th Special Operations Squadron. He worked on various types of fixed-wing aircraft including the C-121 Constellation, C-123 Provider, C-130 Hercules, C-141 Starlifter and the C-5A Galaxy. Wolff was promoted to Sergeant during his time in the Air Force. After his commitment to the U.S. Air Force, he completed a Bachelor of Science Degree at Delaware State University and a Master of Art at Central Michigan University. Wolff worked in Federal Government as an auditor for 26 years and retired in 2003. He continued working after his retirement as a security office r with Coastal International Security , a baseball umpire with the Metropolitan Baseball Umpires Association and a substitute teacher for the Montgomery County Public School System. Wolff is a Life Member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars and his post is 974. He has volunteered some of his time at Shepherd's Table, the Mid-County Community Recreation Center and with his college alumni association. He currently lives with his wife Brenda in Silver Spring, Maryland.

David Yelle

David Yelle served in the U.S. Army as a Specialist 5 during the Vietnam War. He served in Foreign Liaison at Redstone Arsenal, Alabama and then in South Korea as a Nike Hercules Missile Repairman. Yelle currently resides in Germantown, Maryland.