A traveling tribute to all the U.S. Armed Forces members from Michigan who perished in the Vietnam War is coming to Christ the King Church in Oxford Township.
The Michigan Vietnam Veteran Traveling Memorial will be on display at the 1550 W. Drahner Rd. church for all to see from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, July 11.
Vietnam veteran Bob ten Bosch, leader and founder of the Veterans Ministry at Christ the King, said the memorial is both ‘a part of history? and ‘another reminder? of the sacrifices America’s military men and women have been willing to make ‘to keep our freedom.?
‘It’s a very humbling thing to do to honor those that have (sacrificed) their lives,? he said.
The traveling memorial belongs to the Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA) Chapter 154 in Clinton Township. It was created in 2005 by Kurt Damrow, who was a staff sergeant in the United States Air Force/Michigan Air National Guard at the time, and Vietnam veteran John Swanson.
It contains the names of the 2,654 Michigan residents who were killed in action during the war.
Included among those names are eight recipients of the Congressional Medal of Honor and only one female service member, according to U.S. Marine/Vietnam veteran Dave Schoenherr, who cares for and transports the memorial to various destinations across Michigan.
‘I’ll go to between 35 and 40 places (annually),? he said. ‘I’m pretty much gone every weekend . . . I have been as far as Hermansville, which is between Iron Mountain and Escanaba in the Upper Peninsula. That was a four-day deal up there. It goes all over the state. I’ve got a crew of six guys that go with me.?
To Schoenherr, bringing the memorial from town to town is way to reunite the dead with their loved ones.
‘I’m taking (those) guys home to their families,? he said. ‘That’s the way we look at it ? we’re taking these guys that are on that memorial home to their families, (so) they can come and see their names on the wall.
‘When we set the memorial up, we like to look at that as being hallowed ground,? added Schoenherr, who noted no food, beverages or smoking is allowed around it. ‘We like it to be quiet so people can see (the names of) their loved ones and reminisce or think about them.?
The memorial is between 25 and 26 feet long and about 6 feet tall. Books filled with the names, biographies and photographs of the 2,654 Michigan servicemembers travel with the memorial. Copies of the their stories and photos are available to family members upon request.
‘Right now, I’m missing about 500 pictures,? noted Schoenherr, who spent 13 months in Vietnam as an airframe structural mechanic and a ‘door gunner? on a Huey gunship. ‘If there’s no picture, then we ask (family members) to get us one. We’re still trying to get the rest.?
Merchandise is sold at each place the traveling memorial visits, but all the proceeds are used to help veterans, according to Schoenherr, who serves on the VVA Chapter 154 Board of Directors.
‘There’s nobody in the Vietnam Veterans (of America) organization, from (the) national level right on down to us little guys, that makes a penny,? he said. ‘We don’t get paid for what we do. We’re all volunteers.?
The memorial is coming to Oxford to commemorate the official 50th anniversary of the start of America’s ground war in Vietnam.
‘We can’t erase the past,? ten Bosch said. ‘We need to understand why (things happened).?
Although U.S. President Harry S. Truman sent the first American military advisors and aid to Vietnam in 1950, it wasn’t until March 8, 1965 that the first U.S. combat forces arrived in Danang.
That first wave consisted of two battalions of U.S. Marines, a total of 3,500 troops.
By Christmas 1965, nearly 200,000 soldiers, Marines, airmen and sailors were in Vietnam, according to the Department of Defense . By the time the war ended on April 30, 1975, nearly 3 million Americans had served in Vietnam.
‘We need to appreciate those young people, and they were young ? 18, 19 and 20-year-olds,? said ten Bosch, who served in the U.S. Navy from 1966-70. ‘A lot of guys and gals decided to stick it out and fight.?
The number of Michigan residents who lost their lives in the Vietnam War is a fraction of the more than 58,000 servicemen and women who were either killed in action or classified as missing in action.
Since 1982, all of their names have been listed on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington D.C.
Ten Bosch, who served aboard the USS Hancock, an aircraft carrier, visited the memorial wall in 1997.
‘It took me about 15 years to get enough guts to do that,? he said. ‘I literally broke down and cried for a long time.?
Display of the Michigan Vietnam Veteran Traveling Memorial at Christ the King will coincide with the Veterans Ministry’s Fourth Annual Veterans Recognition BBQ/Picnic also scheduled for 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. July 11.
Local veterans and their families are invited to attend this event, which will include a hog roast, music, line dancing, karaoke, games and raffle prizes.
As they have in years past, approximately 150 homeless veterans from Detroit will attend to enjoy food, entertainment and fellowship, according to ten Bosch. He views the Veterans Ministry and the annual barbecue/picnic as another way for vets to reach out and help their less fortunate comrades, to let them know they’re not forgotten.
‘We feel blessed to have what we have,? ten Bosch said.
To RSVP for the barbecue/picnic, please send an e-mail to bob@tenbosch.com