Nineteen Names On A Monument

When I was trying to come up with an appropriate topic for a Memorial Day column, for some reason I found my thoughts continually straying to the Vietnam War.

Apparently, my subconscious mind was more on the ball than my conscious mind. It didn’t hit me that April 30 was the 50th anniversary of the fall of Saigon until I caught a reference to that event on television.

I don’t have a direct connection to anyone who served in Vietnam — thankfully, my classmates just missed being old enough for the draft — but the war was, nevertheless, a constant shadow hovering over most of my school years.

I remember too well how badly the conflict divided this country and the poor treatment Vietnam vets often received upon returning home because of those divisions.

On one of my recent trips to Crownland Cemetery, I stopped to read the names of the young men killed in Vietnam on the monument dedicated to Hamilton County’s Gold Star soldiers.

I’ve listed the 19 names below (and added their rank at the time of death, their Hamilton County connection and the year they were killed.)

Lt. Alan Jensen Bardach, Noblesville (1968)

Pfc. Thomas L. Bell, Carmel (1967)

Pfc. Daniel Ellis Biddle, Arcadia (1967)

Pfc. Steven Eugene Clark, Noblesville  (1968)

Sp/4 David Coy, Noblesville (1967)

Cpl. Michael Farley, Noblesville (1970)

Pfc. Roy Eldon Freeman, Jr., Sheridan (1966)

Pvt. Lawrence Lee Gordon, Riverwood ((1970)

S/Sgt. James Michael Grant, Noblesville (1969)

Pfc. Gerald Lee Johnson, Sheridan (1968)

Sp/4 Guy Thomas Jones, Jolietville (1968)

Pfc. Michael Howard Lawhon, Noblesville (1969)

Pfc. Kenneth Lindle Oldham, Carmel (1968)

Pvt. Michael Eugene Randall, Noblesville (1968)

Sp/4 Benjamin E. Scolley, Sheridan (1966)

Pvt. Robert Wayne Shelton, Cicero (1970)

S/Sgt. Daniel Lee Terry, Sheridan (1969)

1st Lt. Nelson T. Hicks, Carmel (1974)

Cpl. Charles John Cupp, Noblesville (1968)

It just seemed right to get to know them as more than names etched in stone, so I also looked up their death notices and obituaries.

These are only a few of the interesting details I found  . . .

The oldest soldier, Cpl. Cupp, was  26. The youngest, Gordon and Scolley, were only 18.

Alan Bardach was missing for nearly six months before being officially reported dead.

Michael Randall’s wife gave birth to their second child the day before her husband was killed. Randall was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for the “extraordinary heroism” he exhibited in helping evacuate wounded members of his platoon.

James Grant was killed while helping to rescue supplies and ammo from a vehicle damaged by a landmine.

Several of the soldiers on the list were awarded posthumous medals for heroism.

The last two names on the monument were obviously added to the list later since they’re not in alphabetical order. They puzzle me a bit. I hope someone can provide some clarity about them.

According to his obituary, Nelson T. (Ted) Hicks died in a plane crash near Guam. Since this took place after U. S. troops left  Vietnam in 1973 and the crash wasn’t in Vietnam, I’m not sure why he’s listed among the Vietnam War dead.

Cpl. Cupp appears on the Crownland monument as “Charles John Cupp.” I found nothing under that name, but  Ancestry’s military records database, Fold3, shows a “Cpl. John Charles Cupp”

I think this must be the same man because John Charles Cupp died in Vietnam and Noblesville is given as his hometown. Oddly, I was unable to find an obituary for him in the Ledger under either name.

Enjoy your holiday, but you might take a moment to reflect on the young men on this list, as well as the other members of our military who have lost their lives serving this country.

That IS the reason for Memorial Day, after all.

Paula Dunn’s From Time to Thyme column appears on Wednesdays in The Times. Contact her at [email protected]