By David Fleet
dfleet@mihomepaper.com
Ortonville— Purple Heart Day, Aug. 7 was a day for Americans to remember and honor the men and women who served their country and were wounded or killed.
On Monday, community members gathered at the Brandon Township Library to reflect and honor those awarded the Purple Heart. The event was the sixth to honor the community’s 76 recipients, both present and past.
The Village of Ortonville became a Purple Heart Community on Aug. 1, 2016. Included in the Purple Heart community are: five Purple Heart recipients from the Civil War; three from World War I; 32 from World War II; four from the Korean War; 28 from Vietnam, one from Iraq and two from Operation Enduring Freedom.
“Over the last two years the Ortonville VFW has lost two Purple Heart recipients, WWII Veteran Dane Guisbert and Korean War Veteran Don Kengersiki,” said Dennis Hoffman, VFW Post Commander. “Two remain in our post. “We are in dire need of new members, we’ve lost seven in 2023 and seven this year. I know it’s difficult for many of the younger veterans to join due to family obligations and careers.”
Two current Ortonville VFW members are Purple Heart recipients:
Brandon Township resident Duane Getzmeyer, now 73, was also a past VFW commander.
Getzmeyer, a Pontiac native, 1969 Waterford High School graduate who received his diploma in June, his draft notice in July and was in the Army by August. In June of 1970 Getzmeyer arrived in Cam Ranh Bay Vietnam, asked for 101st Airborne and but was sent to the 196th Light Infantry Brigade.
Getzmeyer was sent to Hawk Hill between Danang and Chu Lai. He was walking the point when someone went through the bushes and tripped a booby trap, wounding himself and three others. Getzmeyer was hit by shrapnel in his chest, side and hand.
Getzmeyer arrived home on Mother’s Day 1971. He would earn three college degrees on the GI bill.
Township resident Ron Allen served in Vietnam.
Allen, an Ortonville native and 1965 Ortonville High School graduate, now 77, enlisted in the Army in March 1966.
He served as an E-1 gunner on a M-48 Patton tank. Allen was hit twice and received two Purple Hearts. The first wound was from a rocket-propelled grenade—he received shrapnel to his arm and left shoulder. He was treated at an area base and returned to his unit.
The second time he was hit was in May 1968. While inside his tank Allen recalled he was loading a 90 mm shell when an enemy mortar came in from the top of the vehicle. The hatch was open at the time and he was talking with a fellow soldier when the attack occurred. Allen received severe injuries to his head and back.
Allen was in Vietnam for eight months. He returned home in March 1969.