Oct 7, 2017 2 min read

I would like to yhank Rick Black, Donnie Martin and everyone involved in bringing the Vietnam Memorial Traveling Wall to Waynesburg.

My close friends and I were not impacted much by the Vietnam War. Our families didn’t experience a loss or injury of a family member. We were young, no responsibilities, and didn’t really seem to have a care in the world. Since I graduated from high school in 1976, I was never asked to serve or had to register for the draft. I had times when I worried in 1972, 1973, and 1974 that if the war continued, I had the potential to be called up and be sent Vietnam. The war seemed to go on forever.

Last week, I went with the Claysville American Legion Riders to escort the wall to the Greene County Fairgrounds in Waynesburg. While helping assemble the wall, I did not seem to see the big picture because I was carrying just one small section. When it is assembled, it becomes a huge monument. A friend sent me a photo of an obituary from her cousin, and I sent her a photo of his name on the wall. Getting her photo really put a lot of things into perspective. Things are different when you can put a face to the name.

First, it was hard to believe that Vietnam War losses started in 1959 and ended in 1975. There are still many losses today from the things they encountered overseas. That the total number of people killed, prisoners of war or missing in action was 58,000-plus is unbelievable. How could we lose so many and not be grateful as a nation for their sacrifices?

Being away from home was a hardship. They missed out on way too many things, missed birthdays, getting married, raising a family, buying a house, seeing a loved one maybe for the first or last time, and the list goes on forever. Yet these young men and women were ready and willing to make the sacrifices, and possibly make the ultimate sacrifice, for our country.

Thank you to our veterans.

Mark Holtkamp

Washington