REMEMBERING THOSE LOST — Marya Squire, an intern from Franciscan University of Steubenville, and Jim Brockman, executive director of the American Defenders of Bataan and Corregidor Museum in Wellsburg, survey a display of more than a dozen local men who died while serving in the Vietnam War. After opening for Vietnam Veterans Day, the display will be available for viewing for several weeks at the museum, which is inside the Brooke County Public Library. -- Warren Scott

Through a special program Tuesday at the Follansbee American Legion Post and a new display at a Wellsburg museum, local officials have taken time to honor a group of military veterans who often failed to receive much appreciation when they served.

In observance of Vietnam War Veterans Day on Tuesday, leaders of American Legion Post 45 organized a program in which they and several guests expressed their appreciation to local men who served in that conflict.

Eric Fithyan, president of the Follansbee Chamber of Commerce, said with 2.7 million Americans serving over the course of the 20-year war, most chamber members have a family member who was there.

Robert Poke, American Legion district vice commander, noted the large number of West Virginians who served in the war.

Poke said of 36,578 who hailed from the Mountain State, 1,182 lost their lives while 17 remain missing in action.

He led everyone in a moment of silence for those lost and those whose remains are yet to be recovered.

Alexis Russell, president of the post auxiliary, said of the many deployed to Vietnam, “58,479 didn’t return and those who did, have a higher risk of struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, alcoholism and addiction.”

Russell recalled meeting a woman whose husband who, as a young man, faced in combat an equally young man whom he was forced to kill.

“It was kill or be killed,” said Russell, who added, “I apologize for our country’s behavior when you came home. I want to thank you now.”

Mayor David Velegol Jr. said whenever he passes the many banners along Main Street bearing the names and faces of local veterans of all eras, he’s reminded of a sense of kinship shared by servicemen and women of all eras.

“Your brotherhood is special and something you should be very proud of,” he told the many veterans in attendance.

Reflecting the goal of making amends for past mistreatment, each of the speakers offered a welcome home to the Vietnam War veterans present.

About 25 accepted an invitation to stand and be recognized.

District and Post 45 Commander Tom Mirabella told them, “Thank you for your service. We appreciate it. We’re always thinking of the ones who didn’t make it back and the ones who did.”

Representing U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., Mary Jo Guidi shared a message from the senator expressing thanks to the veterans for preserving their fellow Americans’ right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, among other freedoms.

While they prepared to partake of a lunch served for all of the veterans, two were asked about their experiences during and after the war.

Jack Rohrabaugh of Follansbee was on a combat assault team with the Army’s 1st Cavalry Division and was dispatched to aid Marines in the Tet Offensive.

Of the experience, he said, “It wasn’t pretty but you have to do what you have to do. You had your good times; you had your bad times.”

On a lighter note, Rohrabaugh recalled he and others getting diarrhea after consuming ice that had been made from local water.

Rohrabaugh said upon returning to the Ohio Valley, he received a warmer welcome than many others.

Ron Boggess of Weirton recalled being spat on by a stranger upon returning from the war in 1970.

As a driver in a military convoy, he related being under enemy fire while on the road and at their base, and he counts himself fortunate not to have been injured or killed.

He believes many at home didn’t understand what he and others had gone through.

Asked his thoughts on the program, he said, “It’s wonderful, fantastic.”

More than a dozen local men who didn’t return from the war are being remembered through a new display at the American Defenders of Bataan and Corregidor Museum.

The museum is located within the Brooke County Public Library and follows its operating hours.

It was established to preserve the history of American serviceman and others who fought against Japanese invaders of the Philippine Islands during World War II but has expanded to include some displays related to other wartime experiences.

Jim Brockman, its executive director, said the display was done with the help of John Durbin, a local veteran who has contributed other items, Action Images Photography and Chloe Cross and Marya Squire, two interns from Franciscan University of Steubenville.

He said such information as the military units in which the men served, medals they earned, and the dates of their births and deaths was derived from www.VirtualWall.org, a website collecting data about each of the servicemen and women whose names appear on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C.

Brockman said with a few exceptions, most were 18 or 19 years old when they died.

“It was a young war. A lot of the guys were in their 20s,” he said, noting the draft system was in place then.

Brockman, who was 18 when he enlisted in the Navy during the war, said many signed up before they were drafted so they could choose the military branch in which they served.

But he added being in a certain branch didn’t prevent someone from being deployed to Vietnam, especially at the height of the fighting in the late 1960s to early 1970s.

Brockman said in addition to the tragedy surrounding the loss of those men, there’s also great sadness for the loved ones of those declared missing in action and who have experienced no closure.

Of the display, he said, “We’re happy and proud to do it. It brings the past a little closer to home.”