Memorial Day

BY JOHN ROWAN

On Memorial Day I will particularly remember a high school classmate, William Henry Bauer. This year is the 50th anniversary of my graduating class from Brooklyn Technical H.S. Amazingly, Billy Bauer was the only member of my class of over 1,200 boys to be killed in action in Vietnam, despite the fact that more than 75 percent of us went into the military. After high school he went to Brooklyn Poly Tech and earned a degree in chemical engineering in 1967.

He was drafted in 1968 and was killed in 1969 while serving with C Company, 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry, 1st Cavalry Division. I have his medals, which I received after his father died. He received a Bronze Star with a “V” device and an oak leaf cluster. If any of you served with Billy Bauer and know how he earned this medal, I would like to hear from you. Please contact me at jrowan@vva.org

REMEMBERING IRISH VIETNAM VETERANS

In this issue you will find an article about efforts by two VVA members, Matthew Carroll and Brian McDonnell, to build a memorial in Ireland to honor the men and the woman who were born in Ireland and who died in Vietnam while serving with the U.S. and Australian military. One of the untold stories of the Vietnam War is how many who served were not born in the U.S. or were not U.S. citizens. We know about the Canadians and now the Irish. Any other groups want to tell their story?

MASONS

In the membership spotlight on the facing page you can read about a collaboration between my chapter—Queens, New York, Chapter 32—and the Masons. I urge all of you to develop similar collaborations.

NATIONAL CONVENTION

The Convention will be here soon. In this issue you will see statements from all the candidates. Please familiarize yourself with their backgrounds and proposals, as they will lead us for the next two years. I look forward to seeing you in Jacksonville.