Vietnam War Veterans

Vietnam War Veterans Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from Vietnam War Veterans, History Museum, Saint George, UT.

This powerful photo captures one of the most heartwarming yet deadly serious partnerships of the Vietnam War. The tall g...
04/22/2026

This powerful photo captures one of the most heartwarming yet deadly serious partnerships of the Vietnam War. The tall grass, the heavy gear, the watchful dog - all speak to the daily reality of patrolling"Indian Country." This image honors every dog handler who served in Vietnanm, every scout dog who worked th h, and all the lives saved by those le animals and the men who loved and them.
t nage brought back memories.. LIKE to spect to every brother who carried one andlers who worked with their scout the tall grass, the dogs who gave early and saved lives, and all those whose and courage went beyond words.
Weteome home, brothers (and faithful dogs).
onie hat, your heavy gear, your loyal og, and the grass you patrolled together nembered and deeply honored.

Before history records a name, there is simply a young man.In this image, a soldier sits quietly among sandbags, equipme...
04/22/2026

Before history records a name, there is simply a young man.
In this image, a soldier sits quietly among sandbags, equipment, and radios that hum softly with distant voices. The setting is rough and temporary-an outpost somewhere far from the quiet streets and familiar places where he once lived. The ground is dusty, the air heavy, and the surroundings filled with the tools of a conflict that demanded much from those who served.
But what stands out most is not the equipment.
It is his face.
He looks incredibly young, barely past the age when many people are still discovering what they want to do with their lives. His eyes carry a seriousness that comes from responsibility far beyond what most nineteen-year-olds ever have to face.
At nineteen, many young people are thinking about college, work, friendships, and the plans they hope to build for the future. Life at that age is usually filled with possibilities-roads that stretch forward with time to choose which direction to follow.

Yet for many young men during that period in history, life took a very different path.
They found themselves thousands of miles from home, wearing uniforms in unfamiliar lands, surrounded by landscapes and situations that tested their courage and endurance every single day.
The soldier in this photograph sits beside the tools of his role-communication equipment, supplies, and the protective walls of sandbags meant to shield those inside. It's a moment of stillness, perhaps between tasks, perhaps during a quiet hour when the noise of activity has faded.
But even in stillness, the weight of responsibility remains.
Behind every uniform is a story. A hometown. A family. Friends who remember the laughter and personality that existed long before the uniform was ever worn.

And for many who served during that time, their story became part of something much larger than themselves.
Names like this one remind us that history is not only made of events and timelines. It is built from individual lives-people who stepped into difficult moments with courage and dedication, even when the risks were greater than they could have imagined.
Rememnbering them means more than simply reading a name

Medal of Honor recipient William H. "Pits" Pitsenbarger who was Killed In Action when he refused to leave his men behind...
04/21/2026

Medal of Honor recipient William H. "Pits" Pitsenbarger who was Killed In Action when he refused to leave his men behind:
William Hart Pitsenbarger was a US Air Force Pararescueman who flew on almost 300 rescue missions during the Vietnam War to aid downed soldiers and pilots.

On April 11, 1966, he was killed aiding and defending a unit of soldiers pinned down by an enemy assault during the Vietnam War. Before his death, he helped save over 60 men in the battle. He was posthumously awarded the Air Force Cross, which was later upgraded to the Medal of Honor.

"Pits" was a U.S. Air Force Pararescue Jumper from Piqua, Ohio during the Vietnam War. He joined the Air Force right after high school and became a Pararescueman right after basic training. Less the a year after receiving orders to Vietnam, he set out on a mission to extract Army infantry casualties in the jungles near Cam My. He dropped into the trees, tended to some wounded and then loaded them onto his helicopter.

When it came time for Pits to be extracted, his helicopter was hit by small arms fire and had to leave. Instead of leaving with the helo, Pits stayed with the infantry. For an hour and a half, he tended to the wounded, built improvised stretchers, and redistriubuted ammo. When everyone was set, Pitsenbarger joined the firefight. He was killed by a VC sniper during the night.

To read the full incredible heart-stopping account of William H. "Pits" Pitsenbarger's valor plus thirty more extraordinary war hero stories please check out the book:
"Giant Killers, War Heroes and Special Forces Legends" available now as a Paperback or eBook on Amazon and Barnes & Nobles worldwide!

God Bless our Vets!

Photo of Airman 1st Class William Pitsenbarger with an M-16 outside the HH-43.

04/21/2026

My grandpa died last year. But this was him in Vietnam 1970. He was about 21 or 22

March 11, 1971 — Binh Duong Province, Republic of Vietnam.Corporal Frank Lee Cass was serving with Headquarters Company,...
04/21/2026

March 11, 1971 — Binh Duong Province, Republic of Vietnam.

Corporal Frank Lee Cass was serving with Headquarters Company, 8th Engineer Battalion, 1st Cavalry Division when he was killed in action during combat operations.

Born November 1, 1951, in Plymouth, Grafton County, New Hampshire, Cass enlisted in the United States Army and began his Vietnam tour on June 28, 1970. Serving as an Engineer Equipment Repairman, he helped keep the vehicles and machinery running that supported the division’s operations in the field.

On March 11, 1971, he was killed by an enemy explosive device during hostile action in Binh Duong Province.

He was only 19 years old.

Today we remember CPL Frank Lee Cass and his sacrifice.

US Army 1st Lt. Virginia "Ginny" Deardorff Dornheggen, seen here at a hospital in Quy Nhon, Vietnam.Ginny Dornheggen was...
04/18/2026

US Army 1st Lt. Virginia "Ginny" Deardorff Dornheggen, seen here at a hospital in Quy Nhon, Vietnam.

Ginny Dornheggen was born to a family with an extensive military background in Gettysburg. After graduating nursing school, she was a nurse in the surgical intensive care unit’s recovery room.

Though Dornheggen was fond of her time at Walter Reed, she received orders to deploy to Quy Nhon, Vietnam, in 1970. Dornheggen served with the 67th Evacuation Hospital, where soldiers arrived by aircraft when they received injuries on the battlefield.

In January 1971, the Viet Cong exploded over 5,000 tons of ammunition a mile away from the 67th Evacuation Hospital for 10 hours. This caused Dornheggen’s unit to use extraordinary measures to protect their patients. After serving with the surgical intensive care unit’s recovery room for the majority of her deployment, Dornheggen requested reassignment for the last four months of her tour.

She was having difficulty dealing with the overwhelming stress of the unit. She went to the orthopedic unit for one month, and then to the emergency unit for her final three months in Vietnam.

After her year in Vietnam, Dornheggen returned to the United States, where she found herself dealing with memories of the war. Over the years, Dornheggen has visited the Vietnam Memorial Wall numerous times.

In an interview with the Atlanta Vietnam Veterans Business Association, she expressed how she felt at the wall: “Here, there were names and names with no graves. Knowing that I cared for so many men that did not get home was a realization that hit me hard.”

Once discharged from the military, Dornheggen continued her nursing work in the civilian world in Kalamazoo, Michigan. She worked for 18 years as a critical care nurse and 12 years as a home-health nurse.


04/18/2026

South of the DMZ, 1968. AU.S. Marine stands exhausted after three days of relentless comba his unit trapped on a hilltop for 48 hours before help finally broke through.

Alan "Ace" Cozzalio served as an Army helicopter pilot in Vietnam. As a member of the 5th Cavalry, attached to the 9th I...
04/17/2026

Alan "Ace" Cozzalio served as an Army helicopter pilot in Vietnam. As a member of the 5th Cavalry, attached to the 9th Infantry Division, Cozzalio enjoyed representing his unit's heritage by wearing the traditional 1860s cavalry uniform, complete with yellow scarf and saber, which he kept with him inside his chopper.

On January 25, 1969, Cozzalio received word of an infantry company pinned down and taking heavy casualties from a NVA machine gun bunker. The soldiers on the ground were too close to the bunker for aircraft like Cozzalio's Cobra gunship to light it up with rockets or bombs. Cozzalio landed his Cobra and moved into a smaller, more maneuverable OH-6 "Loach." He tore across the battlefield again, hovering a mere 10 feet off the ground. His used the chopper's minigun to eat into the bunker as he approached through a hail of fire, then landed on top of the structure. The Loach's gunner in back got out, dropped a gr***de inside the bunker, then jumped back aboard. Cozzalio pulled away fast as the gr***de detonated, killing those inside. Cozzalio returned to his Cobra and raced back to the scene, providing more air support while the infantry overran the enemy positions. For his outstanding initiative and creative action, Cozzalio was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross.

Cozzalio served 3 tours in Vietnam, being shot down 6 times. During his time in combat, he earned the Distinguished Service Cross, Silver Star, 2 Bronze Stars, 4 Distinguished Flying Crosses, the Soldier's Medal, 48 Air Medals, and 2 Purple Hearts. He was medically retired in 1986 as a Lieutenant Colonel after contracting a rare virus affecting his heart. In April 1993, he underwent surgery for a heart transplant, which was tragically unsuccessful. Cozzalio died 2 days later. He was 46 years old.

Today we remember LCPL John Everett Paddock of Port Townsend, Washington. Today is John's birthday and he is remembered ...
04/17/2026

Today we remember LCPL John Everett Paddock of Port Townsend, Washington. Today is John's birthday and he is remembered by his friend, Edward:

"I was in school with John in Radio telegraph operators course in 1965, was stationed in Okinawa in 1966 where I saw the report of John's death in a sitrep. Volunteered for Vietnam shortly after that and spent my tour in Danang. Never Forgotten."

It breaks my heart to say that I believe the United States Government did not do him justice. He deserved a lifetime of ...
04/16/2026

It breaks my heart to say that I believe the United States Government did not do him justice. He deserved a lifetime of care that matched the magnitude of his sacrifice.
Instead, he and our family have been left to carry the weight of this "burden' alone. It is an exhausting, soul-crushing experience to watch the person you love suffer because of a decision made by a government that now feels out of reach. IfI knew how to hold them accountable-if I knew the path to sue for the justice he is owed-l would take it in a heartbeat. He deserved so much better than the hand he was dealt.
To every veteran and every family currently walking this dark path: you are in my thoughts and my prayers. I know the hollow feeling of watching a hero fade away. I know the anger of seeing a drafted man treated as an afterthought.

No one should have to go from being "a man who could do anything" to a man who cannot get out of bed because of a war that was supposed to be over fifty years ago.
We must continue to speak out. We must honor their strength, not just when they were young and soldiering, but now, in their most vulnerable moments. He deserved better. They all deserved better.

My husband was once the definition of a vibrant, strong man. He was the kind of person who could do anything he set his mind to-a man of action, capability, and boundless energy. He was the rock our family leaned on, possessing a strength that seemed untouchable. But today, as I sit by his hospital bed, that man feels like a distant memory. I have watched him transform froma force of nature into a sickly person, confined to a bed and unable to even stand on his own. This transition wasn't caused by the natural passing of time; it was caused by Agent Orange.
He didn't ask to go to Vietnam. Like so many young men of his generation, he wa drafted. He answered the call of his country, leaving behind his life and his future to serve a cause that ultimately cost him everything. He did his duty, yet when he returned, the battle didn't end, it just moved inside his body. The chemical shadows of that war followed him home, waiting decades to steal his health, his dignity, and his strength.

In 1969, while most people picture guns, helicopters, and soldiers in the Vietnam War, another kind of hero stood quietl...
04/15/2026

In 1969, while most people picture guns, helicopters, and soldiers in the Vietnam War, another kind of hero stood quietly on the front lines-a young army nurse whose job was not to take lives, but to fight for them.
This image reflects the reality of women like Kate O'Hare Palmer and thousands of other military nurses who served in Vietnam. Often in their early 20s, they worked inside makeshift field hospitals just miles from active combat Zones. Wounded soldiers arrived by helicopter within minutes of being hit--many suffering from severe trauma, burns, and life-threatening injuries.
With limited resources and nonstop pressure, these nurses made life-or-death decisions every day. They worked 12-16 hour shifts, sometimes longer, rarely getting rest. The tools clipped to her uniform weren't just accessories-they were instruments of survival, used in moments where seconds could mean the difference between life and death.

What makes this moment powerful is the contrast. Behind her are sandbags and the unseen chaos of war, yet she stands calm, ev smiling. That smile represents resilience-the strength to stay human in a place designed to break it.
Nurses like Kate didn't just assist--they led.
They ran field hospitals, directed emergency care, and treated some of the most devastating injuries of the war. Many carried those memories for the rest of their lives, long after the war ended.
Today, figures like Kate O'Hare Palmer continue to represent the legacy of women in war-serving as leaders, advocates, and voices for veterans across America.

Address

Saint George, UT

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Vietnam War Veterans posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Share

Category