As Duane Homola helped get Clark County’s Vietnam Memorial ready for its Oct. 15 dedication, he was connected to the monument by more than the brickwork he was donating. One of Homola’s relatives was killed during the Vietnam War and is listed on a memorial plaque.
Dale Lindberg died on Oct. 20, 1967, as a result of what’s described as multiple fragmentation wounds during ground combat operations.
“He was my dad’s cousin,” Homola said. Homola, who owns Finn Hill Masonry, said he remembers going to Lindberg’s funeral when he was a young boy.
The soldier from Brush Prairie is one of 59 local servicemen who died in Vietnam or are listed as missing in action in the conflict.
Work on the memorial that salutes their service is nearing completion on Vancouver’s Veterans Affairs campus. Some stonework remains to be done, as well as landscaping that will be done by the VA, said Larry Smith, a Vietnam combat veteran and co-chairman of the Community Military Appreciation Committee.
The nonprofit committee and the VA Portland Health Care System will team up for the 11 a.m. monument unveiling on Oct. 15.
The featured speakers will be Jerilyn Brusseau and Rae Cheney, the sister and mother of U.S. Army 1st Lt. Daniel Cheney, one of the servicemen whose name is on the new memorial. The Army pilot died on Jan. 6, 1969. He was supporting ground troops when his attack helicopter was shot down.
His family is still involved in Vietnam, but in a different role. The Brusseaus co-founded PeaceTrees Vietnam. The organization assists Vietnamese people whose lives and livelihoods are threatened by explosives left over from the war.
PeaceTrees sponsors projects that remove mines, aid victims and build schools, in partnership with the people of Quang Tri Province.
All Vietnam-era veterans will be recognized and honored at the event with a 50th Anniversary commemorative pin.
The site is on the west side of the Vancouver Veterans Affairs campus, near the “Lady Bell” Huey helicopter — visible from Interstate 5 — that is part of the Vietnam War Memorial Garden.
There also will be a 10 a.m. reception in the Vancouver Veterans Affairs campus gymnasium, just south of the Vietnam War Memorial Garden.
