Capt. John M. Hommel of Iowa graduated from Elkader High in 1937 and then Elkader Junior College in 1939. He spent a year at the University of Iowa and in 1941 he was appointed to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, where he graduated in 1943. John, 24, on July 18, 1944 was making a bombing trip to Russia when he was shot down over Germany. He was survived by a son and wife. John is buried at Arlington National Cemetery. We will #NeverForget John. ... See MoreSee Less

Air Force Captain James L Huard of Dearborn, Michigan was flying an F4E Phantom over North Vietnam when it disappeared from radar. His wife, three sons, parents, brother and sister lived years not knowing his fate. James’ father passed in 1991, three years after the Vietnamese government turned over boxes of remains. In 1997, the U.S. government identified his remains. We will #neverforget James. ... See MoreSee Less

Marines Sgt. Jerry W. Hendrix, 29, of Wichita, Kansas was a few weeks from the end of his second tour of duty. He survived in Vietnam in the late 1960s and decided to return in 1971. The night before his second tour he told his young children: “I want you to always take care of your mom.” Jerry was a passenger about a helicopter that took off July 11, 1972 from the USS Tripoli on a troop insertion mission into South Vietnam. His aircraft was hit by enemy fire. We will #neverforget Jerry. ... See MoreSee Less

Army recruit James E. Whitaker, 20, of New Paltz, N.Y. had just graduated from Kingston High and was in basic training at Ft. Benning, Ga. On July 7, 1961, lightning struck a tree and ricochet into a group killed James. We will #neverforget him and Melvin C. White Jr., 18 of Macon, Ga; Billy G. Casebolt, 17, of Ford’s Branch, Ky.; and Donald Dinardo, 18, of Pittsburgh, Pa. ... See MoreSee Less

Army Sgt. Durward F Ray, 21, of Columbus, Ga. had just returned to Vietnam after a visit with his newborn child. Durward exposed himself to enemy fire July 7, 1965 while trying to pull a wounded comrade to safety. We will #NeverForget him. ... See MoreSee Less