From left, Fred Walliser, Rudy Colderon, Griz Hilpert and Bob White represented the Native Americans who served in the Vietnam War during a ceremony on Wednesday morning at the Rancho San Rafael Park. The Moving Wall, a replica of the Washington D.C. memorial will be in Reno through Veterans Day.
Fred Walliser, 82nd Airborne, Kansas.
Walter Robert White, Special Forces, upstate New York.
Griz Hilpert, 82nd Airborne, Taylorsville, Calif.
Rudy Calderon, 1st Special Forces, Merced, Calif.
Four names, four men whose names didn't make it on the Vietnam Wall. Together the four, now all Northern Nevadans, have 83 years of military service.
On Wednesday, they formed a color guard and represented the Native Americans who gave the ultimate sacrifice in an unpopular war during a ceremony at Rancho San Rafael Park as part of a visit by The Moving Wall.
The wall, a half-size replica of the Vietnam Wall Memorial in Washington, D.C., will be at the park through Monday and open to visitors for 24 hours each day.
In a crowd of about 60, former soldiers stood at attention as the colors were presented while others lay their hands over their hearts as tears quietly rolled down their faces.
Cheryl Johnson, a Pyramid Lake Paiute, danced the jingle dress dance behind the color guard with Sandy Uribe, a traditional Paiute dancer.
Johnson said the jingle dress is a healing dress.
"I think there's a lot of broken-hearted people here," she said. "I hope this dance would bless somebody."
As the color guard finished up, Sgt. White a 67-year-old from Reno, said he left the service only after breaking his back in a jump during Desert Storm.
White, who enlisted at the age of 16, said "I didn't know my first name was Walter until I joined the Army. I tried to reenlist after 9-11 but they told me, 'Sarge, you're too old and too busted up.'"
A veteran himself, Hoyt Honea of Chilcoot, Calif., was looking through the 58,000 names for Stanley R. Honea of Seattle.
"He has the same surname as mine," he said as his wife, Teri, stood at his side. "It's a pretty uncommon name. No relative that I know of was lost in Vietnam, but it's an uncommon name."
Honea said he was a veteran of the U.S. Army already at the start of the war and had been stationed at the Oakland Army Terminal.
"I probably processed a good part of those who went," he said.
Teri said their visit to the wall was made because "we just don't ever want to forget."
"It was just too much of a sacrifice for our fellow citizens," Hoyt said. "I know it was an unpopular war with some. But these people were just drafted and served their country. The tragedy was to come back to all the protests."
IF YOU GO
What: The Moving Wall
When: Through Veterans Day
Where: Rancho San Rafael Park, Reno, 24-hours
Cost: Donations accepted otherwise free
Wall visit sponsored by: Rusty Humphries, Ph Dold, KOH Radio and Rancho San Rafael Park
Some of the Northern Nevadans Killed during the Vietnam War:
DANIEL LEVERNE ACKERMAN
SGT, ARMY
CARSON CITY, NV
3/13/1947 - 4/10/1968
MICHAEL DELANO BLEA
PFC, ARMY
FALLON, NV
9/15/1950 - 5/13/1969
MICHAEL ANTHONY BODAMER
HM3, NAVY
CARSON CITY, NV
12/22/1946 - 5/19/1967
MICHAEL DAVID BYLINOWSKI
LCPL, MARINE CORPS
ZEPHYR COVE, NV
2/4/1946 - 12/6/1967
DAVID LEROY COLLINS
CPL, MARINE CORPS
CARSON CITY, NV
12/8/1947 - 2/1/1968
BILLY DAVID HILL
SFC, ARMY
FALLON, NV
12/17/1946 - 1/21/1968
WALTER DE WAYNE HOGAN
CPL, ARMY
MASON, NV
2/18/1941 - 11/17/1967
DALE EUGENE HUTCHINS
CPL, MARINE CORPS
MINDEN, NV
2/2/1951 - 5/25/1970
STERLING PRICE JOHNSON
PFC, MARINE CORPS
CARLIN, NV
8/22/1948 - 3/7/1968
WILLARD VERNON JOHNSON
SP4, ARMY
FALLON, NV
4/28/1947 - 2/2/1968
EDDIE MOLINO JR
CAPT, ARMY
FALLON, NV
4/21/1945 - 5/10/1970
RICHARD CLARK PERRY
LCDR, NAVY
CARLIN, NV
8/9/1932 - 8/31/1967
PETER QUILICI JR
LCPL, MARINE CORPS
YERINGTON, NV
4/3/1944 - 8/23/1966
RONALD RODRIGUES
SP4, ARMY
FALLON, NV
3/18/1947 - 11/9/1969
WILLIAM ROBERT ROGNE
SP5, ARMY
FALLON, NV
9/18/1948 - 3/8/1970
DANNY LEE SMOTHERS
SP4, ARMY
CARSON CITY, NV
8/26/1947 - 3/8/1968
ROGER ALLEN STEELE
PFC, MARINE CORPS
MASON, NV
4/22/1949 - 11/11/1969
LARRY GEORGE STONE
2LT, MARINE CORPS
YERINGTON, NV
11/15/1941 - 5/22/1967
DANNY GERALD STUDDARD
SGT, ARMY
VIRGINIA CITY, NV
11/22/1949 - 6/16/1971
KEITH DEGERO TAYLOR
LCPL, MARINE CORPS
CARSON CITY, NV
5/6/1949 - 6/18/1968
FREDERICK H WHITTEMORE
CDR, NAVY
CARSON CITY, NV
12/23/1929 - 4/11/1968
JAMES RONALD WILLIS
CPL, MARINE CORPS
CARSON CITY, NV
9/14/1947 - 8/1/1968