The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Veterans provide memorials for soldiers
NORTH CANAAN >> Veteran Dave Simonds of North Canaan recently traveled across the midwest to provide memorials to seven fallen brothers who died in Vietnam in 1970-71.
The story begins with Charlie Company 2nd 506th Infantry BN 101st Airborne Division. The year was 1970, in the mountainous region in the northern most province of South Vietnam. Charlie Company was unique; the men created a brotherhood that would continue over the next 46 years.
In 2005, veteran Gary Gilliam received a phone call from his commanding officer from his service in Vietnam, Captain Bob Seitz, asking him to come to Washington DC on Memorial Day to lay a wreath at Arlington National Cemetery for the company’s fallen brothers.
Since that time, the men have located close to 100 veterans who served in Charlie Company in 197071. Annual reunions began in 2007 and continue to this day.
In September 2015, Dave Simonds, Bob Lister, Frank Matsko, Glenn Shuman, and Gary Gilliam made a journey to Augusta, Georgia, to visit the graves of SFC Domenic Smigliani, who was their platoon leader and a father figure to the men of Charlie Company 2nd Platoon.
Domenic had died on July 27, 1971; the trip in September marked the first time anyone from the unit had visited his grave. While the group was there, it became evident that they needed to continue this act, and made a commitment to visit more of their brother’s graves.
They shared their commitment with all of their brothers from Charlie Company. On July 2, 46 years after his death, Ken Pitetti, Rolland (Pam) Christiansen, Leigh Freeman and Tom Weides traveled to Republic, Kansas, and held a memorial service for Captain Thomas Hewitt, who died July 2, 1970.
On July 12, Simonds, Bob Lister of Jefferson Ohio, Gary Gilliam of Potosi Missouri, and Glenn Shuman of Lavern Oklahoma, Glenn Green of Puxico Missouri, and Frank Matsko from Streator Illinois, all traveled 2,000 miles to hold seven individual memorial services for brothers in Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Kentucky and Illinois.
They were joined by Steve Bago and Jeff Wilcox of Michigan, Bob Smoker of Ohio and Dale Cooper of Illinois at some of the memorials.
During some of the services, no family or friends attended, while others attracted large crowds of family, classmates, and friends. In Louisville Kentucky, the local NBC affiliate, along with newspaper reporters, were there to capture the service.
The group’s plan is to hold four more ceremonies in August, followed by two in September, with a goal to provide a memorial at all 26 graves within the next two years. The effort, they said, has helped put closure in not only their own lives, but in the lives of those families who lost a loved one.