FORT SILL, Okla. June 25, 2015 -- Dozens of Vietnam veterans from 1st Battalion, 40th Field Artillery, along with former South Vietnamese soldiers, gathered for an unveiling of a memorial that honored the heroes and the sacrifices of the "All for One" Soldiers who fought and died during the Vietnam War.
The ceremony was held June 17, inside Kerwin Auditorium because of weather. Afterward vets and their families went to Constitution Park here to see the memorial.
Retired Col. Lee Roper, who commanded the battalion in 1967-68, spoke at the dedication.
"We've been looking for and working toward this day for about 40 years," said Roper, who retired in 1973, at Fort Sill. "See all these old guys here," he said pointing to vets, "they weren't old then, they were 19, 20, 21."
The 1-40th FA was headquartered in Dong Ha near the demilitarized zone. It fired the M-18 self-propelled 105mm howitzer in support of the 3rd Marine Expeditionary Force, 101st Airborne Division, South Vietnamese Army and U.S. Special Operations Forces, according to the ceremony's program. The battalion provided close supporting fires in numerous engagements, including the Battle of Ap Bai, popularly known as Hamburger Hill, and at the siege of Khe Sahn.
Tom Hanan, 71, of Adams, N.Y., has been attending 1-40th FA reunions regularly since 2009. The former specialist 4 cannoneer recalled that his gun was nicknamed "Don't Cuss, Call Us."
Hanan said the dedication, which was part of the battalion's four-day reunion activities, gave him closure.
"You know we were all brothers, it's very moving to be here," said Hanan, who graduated from Advanced Individual Training here in spring 1967, then went to Vietnam.
Veteran Charles Brown, of Glendale, Ariz., said he was 19 when he was in Vietnam.
"You know what you and your unit were doing in the war, but you really don't know what the rest of the country or other outfits were doing," he said. "I know we did our share, if not more."
Since April 1996, the 1-40th FA has continued to serve the nation in its Basic Combat Training mission as part of the 434th FA Brigade at Fort Sill. Lt. Col. Fidel Ruiz, 1-40th FA battalion commander, also spoke during the ceremonies.
"Honoring these Soldiers of the first of the 40th has been a long time coming," Ruiz said. "We have four generations of Soldiers here today linked to the first of the 40th spanning from the Korean War to the War on Terrorism."
During the ceremony, master of ceremonies Capt. Casey Moyer, C Battery, 1-40th FA commander, recounted the history of the 1-40th FA which was originally organized July 5, 1918, at Camp Custer, Mich.
Over the years, the unit landed at Omaha Beach on D-Day, was the first artillery unit to fire the posit fuse, and deployed in Operation Desert Storm, Moyer said in his narration.
After an image of the new1-40th FA memorial was projected on a screen, Vinh Nguyen, Oklahoma City Vietnamese-American community chairman, and Quan Nguyen, Lawton Vietnamese-American community representative, placed a wreath on the stage.
The ceremony also featured a final roll call of the battalion's Soldier who died in Vietnam and a three-shot volley. Then "Taps" and "Amazing Grace" were performed by the 77th Army Band.
At Constitution Park, which memorializes FA and air defense artillery units, the vets and their families admired the black stone monolith and posed for photos around it.
The memorial was inscribed on both sides. One façade listed 20 names of 1-40th FA Soldiers who were killed from September 1966 through November 1969. The other side noted the 1-40th's unit citations and awards during the war.
Second Lt. Max Meraz, F Battery, 1-40th FA executive officer, was one of the many Soldiers from the battalion at the ceremony. He said it was great to be part of a unit with such a storied lineage.
"My uncle served in Vietnam, so I understand what struggles he had to go through, and know that this battalion went through the same struggles," said Meraz.
Roper said it took years for the memorial to come to fruition. It was donated by former members of the 1-40th FA, who gave and raised about $50,000. The secretary of the Army had to approve it before it could be erected on post, the colonel said.
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