Veteran’s Corner

Tom Krabbenhoft

Greetings. one and all. The last couple of weeks have been busy in the weterans community.
The Heroes Compass is presenting its first-ever Wing Cook-Off this weekend. It takes place from 4 to 8 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 3, at Swing Barrel Brewing. The event includes entertainment and prizes. A free-will offering is the admission.
The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Moving Wall was at the American Legion in Moorhead last weekend. It was majestic. yet somber sight to see. Over 58,000 reminders on the wall to remind us why we should think before we commit to war.
Post-Vietnam veterans like myself owe the Vietnam vets a huge debt of gratitude. They made sure the folly and failures they experienced were not going to be repeated when they assumed leadership positions. This was evident during the first Gulf War.
I had the honor to deliver one of the speeches when the exhibit opened. I compiled some very interesting statistics on the wall and Vietnam veterans.
Vietnam Veterans represented 9.7% of their generation.
7,484 women served in Vietnam, with 6,250 (83.5%) nurses.
Vietnam veterans have a lower unemployment rate than others the same non-vet age groups.
79% of the men who served in Vietnam had a high school education or better when they entered the military service. 63% of Korean War vets and only 45% of WWII vets had completed high school upon separation.
87% of people now view Vietnam veterans very favorably.
Facts about the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall:
The names on the wall are chronological. And start from one side to the other, and work into the middle. This represents a circle and a end to the war. It was designed to be reflective, in order to draw a connection between the view and the names you are viewing.
The first man to die in Vietnam was James Davis, in 1961. He was with the 509th Radio Research. Davis Station in Saigon, which was named for him. It’s the same studio in which Robin Williams portrayed a disc jockey in the movie “Good Morning Vietnam.” Pat Sajak was also a DJ in this studio.
While the average age of men killed in Vietnam was 23.1 years, five who died there were only 16. PFC Dan Bullock, a Marine, is the youngest name on the wall. He was 15 … yes, 15. The oldest was 62.
Eight women, all nurses, are on the wall. Only one died from hostile fire.
Of men who died there, 86.3% were Caucasian (includes Hispanic); 12.5% (7,241) were Black; and 1.2% belonged to other races. 64.4% were Protestant, 28.9% Catholic, and 6.7% other or nonreligious.
The Memorial Wall was dedicated on Veterans Day, 1982. One end points toward the Washington Monument, while the other points to the Lincoln Memorial. The wall was built with zero federal dollars. Zero federal dollars. This should ring familiar.
Thanks to all those Vietnam veterans who have served, and to all veterans.

Anything else Veterans related? Contact me at 11btwk@gmail.com.