APPLETON, Wis. (WFRV) – Dozens gathered Saturday outside the Old Outagamie County Courthouse to honor 62 local service members who died during the Vietnam War.
Hosted by the Fox Valley Veterans Council, the annual Memorial Day ceremony included a solemn reading of names, placing carnations and flags, a rifle salute by the Hortonville American Legion Honor Guard, bagpipe music and the playing of Taps.
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Don Falk, a Vietnam veteran from the Village of Fox Crossing, said the event is deeply personal.
“I get misty eyes talking and thinking about it, you know? But to know these guys and go to Washington D.C. and see the wall where I know 13 guys — those guys are heroes,” Falk said.
He added, “I went to school with some of them. I did know some of those names.”
Falk has attended the ceremony for years and said he’ll keep returning as long as possible.
Timothy Cody, president of the Fox Valley Veterans Council and a retired U.S. Army colonel, said honoring fallen veterans is one of the group’s core missions.
“This Saturday, we focus on Vietnam,” Col. Cody said. “We’ve got 62 service members who fell in that war.”
Col. Cody reflected on the war’s legacy and how many veterans came home unrecognized.
“The tragedy of that war, more than anything, is the service members who came home, while nobody appreciated them,” he said. “They didn’t get that support when it was needed.”
To Col. Cody, the best way to honor their sacrifice is to live with purpose.
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“You be a good person, you be a good American citizen so that they have value for what they’ve given their life for,” he said.
The Fox Valley Veterans Council plans to continue this annual tradition, encouraging the public to pause and reflect on the true meaning of Memorial Day.
