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Show Free Press - Wednesday, May 19, 1993 - Page 3 Yesteryears Continued from front page Napalm rained fiery death from the skies, and zippered G.I. body bags were sent stateside by the thousands. Four Lehi men returned that way to be buried in the soil of their hometown. ; The first to die was nineteen-year-olLarry Grace, killed by mortar fire while on patrol duty on May 17, 1969. He had entered the Army in September 1968, and after receiving training at Fort Ord, Calif., was shipped to the 52nd Infantry Division, attached to the 198th Infantry Brigade, near Chu Lai, Vietnam. He met his death after serving in that country for just two months. He was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star with the "V" device for valor, the Purple Heart and the Good Conduct Medal. Kenneth J. Sorenson, a good friend of Larry Grace, wrote an impassioned letter to the editor which was printed in the "Lehi Free Press" on February 26, 1970. In part that note said: I believe in this 100 per cent. That is why I am in Viet Nam. I joined the army in 1969 and went to Fort Sam Houston, Texas to learn how to doctor the people to help them with their sanitation problems. These problems are really great and need to be looked at, changed and removed from these d 1 1 i 3 people. These changes will take years, years that will go toward building a strong, able ally. I would like to thank you for listening to my argument. I do believe in what I am doing over here. If I die here it will be for a cause stronger than a few people. Young Sorenson was prophetic. Six months later, on Aug. 13, 1970 his parents received a telegram from Major General Kenneth C. Wickman which reads in part: "The Secretary of the Army has asked m e to express his deep regret that your son, spe- cialist four Kenneth J. Sorensen died in Vietnam on 10 August 1970 as a result of the wounds he previously received in action. Please accept my deepest sympathy. This confirms personal notification made by a representative of th e Secretary of the Army." Rosemary J.Nielsen, andDewey an d Alice Nielsen received a similar telegram in early 1971 regarding their husband and son, Pfc. Terry Nielsen. On the morning of Feb. 21, 1971 Terry's unit was participating in a search and clear operation near the mountain of Lam Binh, approximately 27 miles southeast of Quang Ngai City, in Quang Ngai Province. At 11:10 A.M., Terry received fatal fragment wounds to the head and chest when a concealed enemy explosive device was detonated. A personal letter of condolence to the widow, from President Richard Nixon, reads in part: "Of all the hardships of war, the crudest are the losses of men such as your husband. The only consolation I can offer is the profound respect of the nation he died to serve, and the humble recognition of a sacrifice no man can measure and no words can describe. Those who el . lights and siren. The officer attained a speed of 55 mph, leadinghim to believe that the vehicle was traveling in the 25 mph zone at approximately 65 mph. After ending the chase unsuccessfully, the officer was approached by a m an who said the suspect might be his son. Other witnesses in the area corroborated the identification, but estimated the vehicle's speed at only 40 mph. A piece of heavy equipment sustained $10,000 in damages when workers discovered sand had been introduced into the motor oil and paint had been poured into the radiator. The case is still under four-whe- -- : el J ll n mil mSi i.i 1 ir iii J C -- Jl s A .j.Z-z- a -- L-- III1.IIIII..I1I.I1U11IJILUHIII ,JI k f i iff. - y i,mmMm,m Kenneth J. Sorenson Larry Grace give their own lives to make the freedom of others possible live forever in honor." The last Lehi man to die in Vietnam, Sgt. Terry H. Price, was my fellow cadet in the Lehi Civil Air Patrol, and someone whom I had known since my earliest years. He was passionate about the military, the uniform, and the patriotic whisperings that inspired him to serve five tours of duty in Vietnam. It was quiet that long ago March 28, 1971, night. The war had been winding down in Quang Tin province, and no one at the 23rd (Americal) Division's Fire Support Base Mary Ann, a modern day Ft. Apache just fifty miles from Da Nang, had seen the enemy for quite some time. Most of the men were asleep in their bunkers at 2:30 a.m. when, according to one account, they were (1945-197- (1950-1971- ) "suddenly catapulted into a hell of bursting shells, shadowy demons, screaming men and death." The ferocious onslaught of sappers with explosives lasted just 30 minutes. But in that woeful, disconsolate period, Terry H. Price, and 32 of his comrades, were killed in the heaviest casualty toll for American servicemen in more than two years. one-da- y Larry Grace, Kenneth J. Sorensen, Terry Nielsen, and Terry H . Price m ade the ul tim ate sacrifice of their very being. They, along with the 142 others who safely served in Vietnam from will be honored on a new plaque to be included as part of the (1961-73- Terry H. Price Terry Nielsen (1948-1970- ) (1950-1969- ) ) Hutchings Museum veteran's exhibit in the Memorial Building. It will be Lehi's own Vietnam War Memorial wall where we can all go to pay our respects. 5yr No Matting or Crushing ISSN No. 8750-466- 9 U.S.P.S. No. 309-50- 0 Published weekly by Newtah News Group 59 West Main American Fork, Utah 84043 9"sq.yd Dupont Stainmaster Carpet SQ59sq.yd Oak Floors $199sq ft Telephone Numbers Advertising News & Circulation Summers Brett Bezzant Publisher Marc Haddock Managing Editor City Editor Russ Subscription price $19 1) INTERIORS Daly per year CARPET VINYL HARDWOOD TILE DRAPES & BLINDS Second class postage paid at Lehi, Utah Postmaster: send address change to 59 West Main. American Fork. 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