Honoring Whiting’s Vietnam War Veterans
Frank Vargo April 2022
WHITING’S HONORED VIETNAM WAR VETERANS WHO MADE THE ULTIMATE SACRIFICE FOR THEIR COUNTRY
Marine Cpl. David Grant Brown – Age 20 October 14, 1965
Marine Pfc. Richard Francis Bubala – Age 20 April 11, 1966
Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Ronald P. Soucy – Age 30 January 11, 1968 (Declared Dead) – MIA
Marine Pfc. Gerald Francis Lenz – Age 18 January 20, 1968
Army Cpl. Michael J. Kurella – Age 21 February 14, 1968
Marine 2nd Lt. Dennis R. Muvich – Age 22 May 19, 1968
Army Specialist John ”Jack” R. Klapak Jr. – Age 20 May 4, 1969
Army Pfc. Teddy Leon Hamel – Age 21 November 25, 1969
These Whiting/Robertsdale young men answered their country’s call to serve in a place that they probably never heard of when they were in elementary school. Most had just graduated from Whiting, George Rogers Clark or Bishop Noll High Schools a few years earlier. Asked to serve in Vietnam, a country about 8,700 miles from their hometowns, they truly made the ultimate sacrifice.
To honor those war dead, a group of Vietnam veterans began discussing the need to remember these soldiers. Thus in the middle of the 1980s, the idea of a Whiting –Robertsdale Vietnam Memorial Project was created. It took years of planning and fund-raising, but under the leadership of John Schaffenberger, Robert Eberle, Martin Gajdos and Stephen Babincsak, the memorial was finally dedicated on Saturday, October 24th, 1998 at 3 p.m., on the corner of 119th Street and Schrage Avenue. The names of the veterans, along with their lifelike images were the work of Homewood, Illinois, artist Anna Carroll. The contrast between the white etchings and the black polished granite was the perfect setting for this memorial. Five flag poles were also donated to the memorial which was to be maintained by the city of Whiting.
The story of how and why these young men died in such a far-off country is a long and tangled one. There is neither the time nor the space in this article to go into detail on our country’s involvement in a place so far from home. However, here is a shortened version.
Originally, Vietnam was part of an area known as French Indo-China. After World War II and the Communist takeover of mainland China, the northern part of Vietnam came under the influence of the Communists. The United States, as the leading superpower after the war, felt an obligation to stop the Communists from taking over any additional territories. To meet this challenge, both Presidents Eisenhower and Kennedy sent small groups of “advisors and military personnel” to assess the situation and train the South Vietnamese army in the hope that they could better defend themselves.
By November of 1963, the U.S. had about 16,000 military personnel in Vietnam and 200 Americans had already been killed. The events of August 5, 1964, greatly changed the American commitment. An “attack” by North Vietnamese gun boats on two U.S. destroyers off the coast of Vietnam led Congress to pass the “Gulf of Tonkin Resolution” which gave President Lyndon B. Johnson the authority to “take all necessary measures to repel any armed attack against United States forces.” This led to the immediate increase of American forces to 23,000 troops.
By March of 1966, our troop strength had increased to 185,000 and some 2,700 men had already been killed. January 1968 saw an American fighting force of 485,000 troops stationed in Vietnam. Over 20,000 Americans had already died. In our country, November 15, 1969, witnessed the largest organized antiwar protest as millions took to the streets calling for an end to the conflict. Battlefield setbacks & protests at home finally led government leaders to realize that victory in Vietnam was no longer an attainable goal. The warring parties met in Paris on January 27, 1973, and reached an agreement on “ending the war and restoring peace” in Vietnam. The Vietnam War was officially declared ended on April 30, 1975.
The peace came too late for our Whiting and Robertsdale military and for the other approximately 58,000 American war dead, the hundreds of thousands who were wounded in battle, as well as those who suffered and are still suffering the effects from their service in the Vietnam conflict.
As in other cities and towns across the country, Whiting and Robertsdale wanted to honor their war dead with a memorial of some type. For two decades, this first memorial served its purpose well. But as the years passed, rain, snow, freezes, thaws and winds off of Lake Michigan took their toll. As the memorial continued to deteriorate, our city leaders sought solutions to fix the problems. When no satisfactory solution could be found, it was decided to completely replace the first memorial with a new one. Design work and funding for the project took some time, but by early 2018 construction began on a new Vietnam Veterans Memorial at the same location.
On Flag Day, June 14, 2018, a rededicated Vietnam Veterans Memorial was unveiled. The families of those honored on the memorial, as well as over 100 people, viewed the ceremony on a warm and sunny day. Mayor Joseph Stahura welcomed the crowd and gave an overview of the restoration. The Whiting High School Band played both the National Anthem for the flag raising and Taps to conclude the program. Members of the American Legion Post 80, the American Legion Auxiliary, the Elks, the Emblem Club, the VFW and the Southeast Side Vietnam Veterans were all in attendance. As a special remembrance, the etched picture of each soldier that was part of the first memorial was given to their family members.
The new monument is very unique. The ¾ inch thick glass is an outline of soldiers. In various places are the new portraits of the soldiers sketched by Robert Jordan, himself a Vietnam veteran. The memorial is illuminated at night by LED lights from dusk to dawn. It is the city’s way of letting the world know that these young men who gave their all for their country will not be forgotten.
Information on Our Deceased Whiting and Robertsdale Vietnam War Veterans
Marine Cpl. David Grant Brown Whiting High School Graduate Born – December 27, 1944 Passed – October 14, 1965 Enlistment Date - December 28, 1961 Injured by small arms fire. Died of injuries at Clark AFC, Philippines.
Marine Pfc. Richard Francis Bubala Whiting High School Graduate Born – December 2, 1945 Passed – April 11, 1966 Enlistment Date – January 23, 1963
Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Ronald P. Soucy Whiting High School Born – January 18, 1937 Passed – May 23, 1967 Enlistment Date – December 6, 1954 Navy Helicopter Air Casualty – MIA
Marine Pfc. Gerald Francis Lenz George Rogers Clark High School Born – April 23, 1949 Passed – January 20, 1968 Assault Amphibious Vehicle Crewman Killed in Artillery Attack
Army Cpl. Michael J. Kurella Whiting High School & Allied Institute of Technology Born – August 30, 1946 Passed – February 14, 1968 Infantry Tour of Duty Started – October 9, 1967
All three of these men, Dennis, Jack and Teddy were “Goose Islands Boys” who lived within three blocks of each other on Schrage and New York Avenues
Marine 2nd Lt. Dennis Robert Muvich Bishop Noll Institute & Marquette University Born – October 12, 1945 Passed – May 19, 1968 Enlistment Date – March 16, 1966 Commission in June, 1967 Fatally wounded on patrol duty by enemy fire
Army Specialist John “Jack” Klapak Jr. Bishop Noll Institute Born – November 18, 1948 Passed – May 4, 1969 Enlistment Date – July 31, 1968 Radioman – Forward Observer with 1st Infantry Division
Army Pfc. Teddy Leon Hamel Whiting High School Born – August 26, 1948 Passed – November 25, 1969 Enlistment Date – March 3, 1968 Ground casualty of small arms fire