Memorial to Vietnam War Soldiers Unveiled

Hundreds of families, veterans and elected officials gathered in downtown San Jose Saturday for a moment that was a long time in coming, some 40 years after the last American came home from the war in Vietnam.

As some held framed pictures of young men who have stayed forever young—the way they were when they were drafted and left San Jose to fight in a land far away—the "Sons of San Jose" monument was dedicated with solemnity and not a few tears.

It commemorates the 142 young men who were killed in action. One, Robert Susumu Masuda, was listed missing in action 44 years ago. 

 The glossy black granite, in a pocket park just east of the Sharks arena on West Santa Clara St., might help finally honor the soldiers who fought in a war so unpopular that its returning vets were often vilified or attacked on the street, wrote Joe Rodriguez for the San Jose Mercury News.

Rodriguez wrote about several of the young men who died at ages of 18, 20 or 21, who never came home to marry or hold their nephews and nieces in their arms.

Among those who came to the dedication, were veterans who served with—or grew up with—some of the names on the wall. Army Sgt. Mike Frangadakis, now a broker in Los Gatos, told Mercury News reporter Pat May Saturday that he carried many as a litter carrier and ambulance driver in Vietnam.

One soldier was his best friend since sixth grade, Steve Ohara. "And then, after he was killed, I was the pallbearer at his funeral, which took place the week I was leaving for Vietnam."

The San Jose Vietnam War Memorial Foundation, formed in 2008, was spearheaded by Dennis Fernandez Sr. and it became a single-focus effort to get it done. It was paid for entirely by private donations.

It draws inspiration from the memorial in Washington D.C., etched with 52,000 names, designed by Maya Lin. This memorial was designed by Steinberg Architects. The effort to build the wall got a significant boost from Toeniskoetter Construction, whose CEO, Charles Toeniskoetter, is a Vietnam War veteran.

Even after the opening ceremony, the San Jose Memorial Wall Foundation is still raising funds to complete the project and pay for the maintenance of the wall.

For more information about those efforts includes May 18 memorial dance and an Aug. 5 benefit golf tournament at the Coyote Creek Golf Course see The San Jose Vietnam War Memorial Foundation website. 

NAMES

Each name is accompanied by the date the soldier was born and the date he died. Click on the links, and the complete profile and you can see the date and incident in which the soldier died.

PFC RONALD LEE ALESHIRE 
PFC JIMMIE MARRON ALVAREZ 
CAPT WARREN LESTER ANDERSON 
SGT JOSEPH ANTOGNINI III 
SP4 ALONSO ARAGON Jr 
LCPL STEPHEN ANTHONY BALTERS Jr 
SSG JEFFREY THOMAS BEARDSLEY 
SGT ROBERT EUGENE BEAUMONT 
PFC LESLIE ALLEN BELLRICHARD 
SGT THOMAS HOWARD BERGREN 
SP4 RAYMOND BERNAL Jr
CPL THOMAS GEORGE BROCKER 
SP5 KERMIT EDWARD BURKEY 
SP4 MICHAEL EDWARD BURNS 
WO GARY WILLIAM BUTLER 
PFC CHARLES BYRD 
SP4 GEORGE J CARRILLO Jr 
PFC TIMOTHY MICHAEL CARROLL 
SA JACKIE CHARLES CARTER
PFC MANUEL ANGEL CASTILLO 
SGT GERALD CERVANTES 
AX3 ARMANDO CHAPA Jr.  
SGT ROBERTO COBARRUBIAS 
CPL JAMES MILES COMBS 
PVT CHRISTOPHER CORWIN COOK 
SGT WILLIAM DONALD COOK Jr
PFC RICHARD JAMES COSTON 
CPL JIMMY DOUGLAS CURRY 
SP4 KENNETH ALAN DAHL
A1C DAVID MICHAEL DAVISON 
AO2 THOMAS JOE DAWSON Jr 
SP5 LOUIS SCOTT DI BARI
SP5 WOLF-DIETER DIETZ 
SSG JUAN LEON GUERRERE DUENAS 
SP5 RICHARD MONROE DYKE
SGT JOSEPH ESCAMILLA 
PFC JAIME ESQUIVEL
SP4 GERALD FRANCIS FILIPPI 
PFC EDWARDO FLORES 
SP4 RICHARD ALLAN FORBES 
SP4 WILLIAM HOLT FOWLER III 
CPL BRUCE GARY FRIEL 
SFP3 RICHARD GARZA Jr 
SP4 KENNETH GILBERT GELLERMAN 
PFC ROBERT GONZALES 
SP4 MICHAEL JOHN GRECU 
WO SCOTT CRAIG GRISWOLD 
PFC DALLAS GEORGE GRUNDY 
SP4 PHILLIP O GUILLEN 
LCPL ERNEST LEMAS GUTIERREZ 
PFC ROBERT RALPH HAMMER 
CPL JOHN LEWIS HARLEY 
PFC DEAN ALLEN HARRIS 
CPL ROBERT EARL HARRIS 
CPL MICHAEL MAXWELL HATZELL 
SGT DAN DAVID HAYES 
PFC GLENN ELDEN HEFLIN 
CPT JAMES REEVE HEIMBOLD 
PVT LEROY HENSLEY 
PFC ROBERT FRANCIS HINKSTON 
SSGT MELVIN DOUGLAS HOLCOMB 
PFC FRED LEE HOTTINGER 
SGT HOWARD EUGENE HURST 
1LT JOHN WILLIAM IRVING Jr 
SGT ROBERT ALLEN JANS 
SP4 ROBERT STEVENS JERNBERG 
LCDR LARRY MICHAEL JORDAN 
CPL THEODORE C KAPPMEYER 
MSG DANIEL DUANE KEYES 
PFC MICHAEL GEORGE KINDRED 
CPL LOYD EUGENE KINSWORTHY 
SGT JOHN MICHAEL KOENIG 
PFC WALTER KOEPPE Jr 
SGT RUSSELL WALTER KRILL 
SP4 JEFFERY DAVID KUERSTEN 
CPL MARION DOMINIC LA ROSA 
PFC JOSEPH LEDESMA 
SFC JOHN EDWARD LOPEZ Jr 
SGT CHESTER GEORGE LYONS 
PFC CESAR JABONILLO MAMON 
SP4 WILLIAM A MANSERGH Jr 
LCPL ERNESTO MARTINEZ 
SSG ROBERT SUSUMU MASUDA 
PFC JOHN ALBERT Mc GEHEE 
SSG WILLIAM DAVID Mc GIVERN 
PFC RICHARD HAROLD Mc GUIRE 
SP5 DAVID PHILLIP MEDINA 
PFC RUDOLPH MELENDEZ 
SGT JOSEPH LOUIS MENDOZA 
SP4 MICHAEL MERENO 
PFC ROBERT GAIL MILLER 
SGT ANGELO RAYMOND MORALES 
CPL CARLOS GARCIA MUNOZ 
CPL TONY VALDEZ NASTOR 
SP4 KENNETH LAWRENCE NEAL 
SP4 STEVE MASAO OHARA 
MAJ JACK COLEMAN OWENS 
PFC WILLIAM ALLEN PALENSKE 
SP4 RICHARD MICHAEL PATRICK 
PFC RAYMOND ALLAN PETERSEN 
WO DONALD RAY PHIPPS 
PSGT JOHN RICHARD POSO 
SP4 TIMOTHY COLE PROUDFOOT 
SP4 MIGUEL ANGEL PUENTES 
HM2 ALEX LEON QUIROGA 
CPL JOHN ARTHUR RAMIREZ 
SP5 LYNN MURRAY RANDALL 
SP4 RUDOLPH SOTELO RENTERIA 
SP5 DUANE LAWRENCE RICHARD 
SP4 JOSE ANTO RIVERA-BERMUDEZ 
WO WILLIAM S ROBERTSON III 
SP4 FLOYD IRWIN ROBINSON 
2LT JOE IGNACIO RODRIGUEZ 
PFC GILBERT RUIZ 
CPL DAVID FRANK SANTA-CRUZ 
PFC GILBERT SERRANO 
LCPL SAMUEL ARTHUR SHARP Jr 
SGT DAVID HOWARD SHOEMAKER 
PVT ROSENDO FLORES SILBAS 
SP4 CHARLES LENET SMITH 
CWO JAMES DOUGLAS SMITH 
SP4 JOHN CALVIN SMITH 
PFC MATTHEW EDWARD SMITH 
PVT EUSEBIO SOLIS 
PVT KENNETH LYLE SPITZER 
PVT DANIEL EDWIN STROBBE 
PFC JON TASCH 
PFC KENNETH CARL TITSWORTH 
1LT GRADY THOMAS TRIPLETT 
SP4 RICHARD LEE TRISLER 
SP4 HOMER URRABAZO 
LCPL PATRICK JOHN VASQUEZ 
CPL JOSE LOUIS VIERAS 
CPL DONALD JAMES WADE 
PFC GEORGE ALLEN WALDRON 
CPL THOMAS JAMES WALKER 
SGT CRAIG LESLIE WALTON 
CPL LARRY ELLIS WILLIAMS 
PFC DONALD RAY WILLIAMSON 
PFC DENNIS HAROLD WRIGHT 
CPT MURRAY JOHN WYMAN 
1LT AUGUSTO MARIA XAVIER