Falls High Class of 2012 graduate Charlie Gordon recently received a scholarship from Northland Vietnam Veterans Foundation.
To win the scholarship, he interviewed his grandfather, Paul Turenne, about his experience in Vietnam and wrote an essay about it. Turenne served his 13-month tour of duty in Vietnam as a captain from 1966 to 1967. His wife, Marcia, and their seven young children, all under the age of 9, were left in International Falls as he served his duty. He was stationed in Pleiku near the Ho Chi Minh Trail with the 4th Division. Their job was to stop the North Vietnamese from infiltrating from Cambodia.
Gordon read his essay at a May 30 ceremony celebrating the 20th anniversary of the dedication of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Duluth. At the dedication, Gordon said he was glad his grandpa returned from Vietnam, as many did not, because Turenne became his father figure after his dad, Marty Gordon, died when he was in eighth grade.
The shape of the memorial along Duluth’s lake walk represents a bunker, and the five fingers that come over the top of the memorial represent the five branches of the service.
The following names are International Falls veterans who did not return from the Vietnam War and whose names are inscribed on the Vietnam Memorial in Duluth:
• Earl Merrill Deneen, International Falls, MN 26W/061
• Ricard Thomas Bunnis, International Falls, MN 23E/069
• Anton Jr. Proszek, International Falls, MN 18E/104
• Steven Owen Schultz, International Falls, MN 09E/063
• Jerry Allen Longtine, International Falls, MN 68W/00
• John Marvin Stenberg, International Falls, MN 24W/113
• James William Jr Nichols, International Falls, MN 41E/042
• Richard Joseph White, International Falls, MN 19W/110
• Woodrow Johnsen Jr. Ewald, International Falls, MN 18W/068
• Barney Kaatz, International Falls, MN 01E/008
During the ceremony, Vietnam veterans marched to bagpipe music carrying a replica of a bamboo cage in which POWs and MIAs were held. Duluth Mayor Don Ness and former Mayor John Fedo and his wife, who were instrumental in getting the memorial built 20 years ago, spoke at the ceremony. A 21 gun salute and taps concluded the emotional ceremony.
The purpose of the memorial is to remind the public never to forget the sacrifices that the Vietnam veterans and their families made in service to their country. A lot of the young servicemen were drafted. Upon their return, many were ignored or received public disdain for fighting in a controversial war.
Gordon, who is also the son of Cathy Gordon, graduated with highest honors from Rainy River Community College with an associate in arts degree May 18, as well as from Falls High School with honors June 3. He will continue his education toward a degree in mechanical engineering.
The Northland Vietnam Veterans Memorial Foundation offers a minimum of three scholarships to qualified candidates residing in six Minnesota counties of St. Louis, Carlton, Cook, Itasca, Koochiching and Lake and two Wisconsin counties of Douglas and Bayfield.
High school students must be a graduating senior, maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.0, have verifiable acceptance to an accredited university or technical college within the U.S. and be a verifiable relative child, grandchild, sibling, niece/nephew of a Vietnam era veteran. The scholarship is based solely upon the paper written on the subject listed.
Gordon’s essay, which follows below, was based on an interview with Turenne and answered the following question: “How has the way veterans were treated after returning home from the Vietnam War affected the way returning service men and women are treated today?”
‘Unsung Heroes’
- By Charlie Gordon
The definition of an unsung hero is, “a person who makes a substantive yet unrecognized contribution; a person whose bravery is unknown or unacknowledged.” It is also the definition of the Vietnam veteran. These veterans served in one of the longest, most controversial and unpopular wars that the United States was involved in. Clearly they are heroes; a conclusion I reached after interviewing my grandpa about his experience in the Vietnam War.
My grandpa served a tour in Vietnam from 1966 to 1967 with the 4th Infantry Division. He left his family behind, which consisted of my grandma and their seven young children all under the age of 9, and sailed by boat for about 30 days, landing in Nha Trang. Immediately upon arrival, they flew directly to Pleiku, located near the Ho Chi Minh Trail, where the 4th Division was stationed. Their job was to stop the North Vietnamese from infiltrating from Cambodia. My grandpa was stationed there for 12 months. He described the public reaction to his return as neutral. No one talked about it to him. In retrospect, he said he felt very fortunate to return to the U.S. before public opinion turned against the troops and the war effort in Vietnam.
After he was home, my grandpa witnessed that the public showed hostility toward the returning troops, especially in the early 1970s. There were reports of crowds booing and spitting upon the servicemen. Some of the public outcry was because the Vietnam War was the first war that has heavily broadcast on television news, showing the horrors of war. Also, troops returning from Vietnam came home in small groups, rather than large units like they do today. There is safety in numbers.
This poor treatment of the returning Vietnam troops saddened my grandpa. He said the servicemen, many who were 18 as I am now, left their lives in the United States to fight in Vietnam. They were probably terrified in a place where you couldn’t tell if man, woman, or child was the enemy. My grandpa said he remembers heavy artillery fire and bullets whizzing past his head. He said a lot of chemicals, including Agent Orange, were used to clear the jungle. Exposure to these chemicals has led to cancer and other ailments in Vietnam veterans. The public disdain must have been very difficult to take and demoralizing because these brave troops were following orders to serve their country as they had sworn to do. They truly are unsung heroes and are owed respect!
Due to the efforts of organizations, like the Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial Association, to enlighten the public by memorializing and bringing dignity and honor to those that served in Vietnam, treatment of returning servicemen and women from conflicts today is different. There appears to be much more support and a ‘hero’s welcome’ upon their return, and rightfully so. If the public doesn’t believe in war efforts now, their resentment is shown toward government leaders rather than returning troops.
