Vietnam vet searches for names of fallen comrades
Clinton County list includes 15 heroes

By Rhonda Westfall

Vietnam.

A name that stirs a myriad of emotions yet today, more than 28 years after the signing of the Paris Peace Accord officially closed the book on United States involvement in the war that claimed the lives of 58,169 young American men and women.

It haunts the hearts and souls of those left behind - millions of family members and friends who grieve for loved ones whose bodies were broken and dreams of happy futures were shattered.

Vietnam.

A name of particular significance to the men and women who returned home after serving their tour "in country." Like veterans of wars before them, the passing years seem to make the faces of fallen comrades more visible - they do not want to forget.

It was the desire to remember that prompted Gordon Shipley to work on compiling a list of servicepersons from Clinton County who paid the ultimate price in Vietnam. Like the piece of earth they died on, their 15 names trigger intense feelings.

"A few years ago, a couple friends who I went to school with and served with in Vietnam were talking about others who were killed - we came up with 10 names from Clinton County," the 1966 graduate of Rodney B. Wilson High School in St. Johns says of the conversation that started the commemorative endeavor.

"Our class was lucky - no one was killed. Classes before and after us were not as fortunate."

In the time that followed, Shipley became more serious about finding the names of every Clinton County resident who had died while serving in Vietnam - and where they were buried.

"It seems important to me that we should also know where they are buried - that information was not included in the service records," Shipley says.

The VFW Post 4113 member readily admits that his current list of 15 names may not include all county servicepersons who died in Vietnam.

"I'm hoping that by publishing this, maybe family members or friends of veterans who died in Vietnam will contact me - I'd like to make the list as complete and accurate as possible," he says, noting that he also has another motive.

"What I’d really like to see is a plaque of some sort that would list all the names - there's nothing like that that I know about for Vietnam veterans in Clinton County. Maybe it could even be a traveling plaque - or mini-Wall - that could be used in different communities in the county for special events - like Bath Days or Ovid Carriage Days."

Persons with additional information on county residents who were killed in Vietnam should call Shipley at 224-4792.

Along with data complied by Shipley, the list as it appears on this page includes information taken from The Wall, an Internet site produced by veterans of the 4th Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment. The web address is http://www.thewall-usa.com.

Following is the list of 15 servicepersons from Clinton County who were killed in Vietnam, as complied by Gordon Shipley and augmented with information from The Wall web site. Names are listed in order of death date.

James Phillip LaClear

PFC - E2 - Marine Corps - Regular; 19, single, Caucasian, male; Born, Nov 14, 1946; from East Lansing. Graduated, 1965, Bath High School.

Casualty was on May 12, 1966, in Quang Nam, South Vietnam. Hostile, died of wounds; ground causality, multiple fragmentation wounds. Body was recovered. Buried at Rose Cemetery, Section C-2, Upton Road, Bath Township.

Panel 07E - - Line 53

Rocky Rand Synder

PFC - E2 - Marine Corps - Regular; 18, single, Caucasian, male; Born Oct 02, 1948; from St. Johns. Graduated Fulton High School; lived in Maple Rapids.

Length of service 1 year. Casualty was on Mar 30, 1967, in Quang Nam, South Vietnam. Hostile, ground casualty; gun, small arms fire. Body was recovered. Buried at Union Home Cemetery, Greenbush Township, Maple Rapids Road.

Panel 17E - - Line 76

Ronald James Fitch

PFC - E2 - Marine Corps - Regular; 20, single, Caucasian, male; Born Feb 10, 1947; from St. Johns. Graduated, 1965, Rodney B. Wilson High School, St. Johns.

Casualty was on April 5, 1967, in Thua Thien, South Vietnam. Hostile, ground casualty; gun, small arms fire. Body was recovered. Buried at Mt. Rest Cemetery, Section J, Lot 180, St. Johns.

Panel 17E - - Line 103

James Warden Peltier

PFC - E3 - Army - Selective Service; 1st Infantry Division; 19, single, Caucasian, male; Born May 21, 1947; from DeWitt. Graduated, 1965, Bath High School.

Tour of duty began Dec 24, 1966; Casualty was on April 8, 1967, South Vietnam. Non-hostile, ground casualty, accidental homicide. Body was recovered. Buried at DeWitt City Cemetery, Section G, DeWitt.

Panel 17E - - Line 127

John Andrew Sickles

SP4 - E4 - Army - Selective Service; 25th Infantry Division; 19, single, Caucasian, male; Born July 13, 1947; from Laingsburg. Graduated, 1965, Rodney B. Wilson High School, St. Johns.

Tour of duty began January 10, 1967; Casualty was on June 16, 1967, Hua Nghia, South Vietnam. Hostile, ground casualty, multiple fragmentation wounds. Body was recovered. Buried at Wilsey Cemetery, Bond Road, Olive Township.

Panel 21E - - Line 116

William Charles Wentzel

WO - W1 - Army - Reserve; 21, single, Caucasian, male; Born March 3, 1946; from Haslett. Graduated, 1964, Bath High School.

Tour of duty began Sept. 3, 1967; Casualty was on Sept. 21, 1967, South Vietnam; Non-hostile, died of illness/injury; helicopter crew - air loss, crash on land. Body was recovered. Buried at East Lawn Memory, Okemos.

Panel 26E - - Line 110

John Franco Ruiz

SP4 - E4 - Army - Selective Service; 1st Infantry Division; 20, single, Caucasian, male. Born Aug. 19, 1947, from DeWitt. Graduated, DeWitt High School.

Length of service 1 year. Tour of duty began April 27, 1967. Casualty was on Jan 29, 1968, in Binh Duong, South Vietnam; Hostile, ground casualty, other explosive device. Body was recovered. Buried at Mt. Rest Cemetery, Section D, Lot 47, St. Johns.

Panel 35E - - Line 63

Bernard Joseph Newhouse

HM3 - E4 - Navy - Regular; 21, single, Caucasian, male. Born Sept. 28, 1946; from St. Johns. Graduated, 1964, Rodney W. Wilson High School, St. Johns.

Length of service 1 year. Casualty was on April 21, 1968, in Quang Tri, South Vietnam; Hostile, ground casualty, artillery, rocket or mortar. Body was recovered. Buried at Deepdale Cemetery, Lansing.

Panel 51E - - Line 24

Duane Auldon Downing

SP4 - E4 - Army - Selective Service; 11th Light Infantry Brigade; 20, single, Caucasian, male; Born Feb. 4, 1949; from St. Johns. Graduated, 1967, Rodney B. Wilson High School, St. Johns.

Length of service 1 year. Tour of duty began June 23, 1968; Casualty was on Feb. 23, 1969, in Quang Ngai, South Vietnam; Hostile, died of wounds, ground casualty, artillery, rocket or mortar. Body was recovered. Buried at Mt. Rest Cemetery, Lot 37, St. Johns.

Panel 32W - - Line 96

Benny David Sloat

PFC - E3 - Army - Regular, Americal; 18, single, Caucasian, male; Born Oct 30, 1951, from Ovid; Graduated, 1969, Ovid-Elsie High School.

Tour of duty began Jan. 13, 1970; Casualty was on March 19, 1970, in Quang Nam, South Vietnam; Hostile, ground casualty, other explosive device. Body was recovered. Buried at Middlebury Cemetery, Krause Road, Middlebury Township.

Panel 12W - - Line 23

Brent Robin Law

SGT - E4 - Army - Selective Service; 101st Airborne Division; 20, single, Caucasian, male; Born Feb. 1, 1950; from St. Johns. Graduated, 1968, Rodney B. Wilson High School, St. Johns.

Tour of duty began Jan. 7, 1970; Casualty was on July 21, 1970, in Thua Thien, South Vietnam; Hostile, helicopter - non-crew; air loss, crash on land. Body was recovered. Buried at Mt. Rest Cemetery, Section K, Lot 213, St. Johns.

Panel 08W - - Line 38

Richard Dale Randolph

SGT - E5 - Army - Selective Service; 198th Light Infantry Brigade; 20, single, Caucasian, male; Born July 15, 1950; from St. Johns. Graduated, 1968, Rodney B. Wilson High School, St. Johns.

Tour of duty began Oct. 15, 1970; Casualty was on Feb. 1, 1971, in Binh Dinh, South Vietnam; Hostile, ground casualty, artillery rocket or mortar. Body was recovered. Buried at Mt. Rest Cemetery, Section K, Lot 222, St. Johns.

Panel 05W - - Line 73

Robert Joseph Thelen

SP5 - E5 - Army - Selective Service; USARV; 20, single, Caucasian, male; Born June 29, 1950; from Fowler; Graduated St. Mary's Catholic School in Westphalia and Divine Word Seminary High School in Techny, Illinois..

Tour of duty began July 2, 1970; Casualty was on Feb. 21, 1971, in Binh Dihn, South Vietnam; Hostile, ground casualty, other explosive device. Body was recovered. Buried at St. Mary's Cemetery, Westphalia.

Panel 05W - - Line 130

William Burdon Beardsley

SP4 - E4 - Army - Regular, USARV; 21, married, Caucasian, male; Born Feb. 9, 1950, from Bath. Graduated, Bath High School.

Tour of duty began July 6, 1970; Casualty was on March 20, 1971, in Kien Giang, South Vietnam; Hostile, helicopter - crew, air loss, crash on land. Body was recovered. Buried at St. Joseph Cemetery, Willow Street, Lansing.

Panel 04W - - Line 60

Michael Owen Maybee

CPL - E3 - Army - Selective Service; 101st Airborne Division; 25, married, Caucasian, male; Born April 26, 1946; from Fowler.

Tour of duty began Aug. 13, 1971; Casualty was on Nov. 28, 1971, in Thua Thien, South Vietnam; Non-Hostile, died missing; helicopter - non-crew, air loss, crash on land. Body was recovered. Buried at West Side Cemetery, Hubbardston.