In the military, it’s said that men create a bond from combat, and this bond is understood only inside the military. First Platoon was my family during my year in Vietnam and every day after I returned. We are all brothers and have a bond that cannot be explained. We fought, bled, cried, played, and partied together. After the enemy killed or wounded one of us, the pain we felt was unimaginable. As men, we unapologetically held another platoon member during their grief. I still miss the platoon members who never came back home. I regret I didn’t get to know them better.
The platoon members helped each other without any questions. We would give our life to save another. We helped carry each other’s load and share our rations, water, ammunition, and packages from home without hesitation. First Platoon members are my brothers, and the bond we formed in combat will always exist.
Turn your speaker on and volume up.
The platoon members helped each other without any questions. We would give our life to save another. We helped carry each other’s load and share our rations, water, ammunition, and packages from home without hesitation. First Platoon members are my brothers, and the bond we formed in combat will always exist.
Turn your speaker on and volume up.
Meet the Men of First Platoon
Listed are the men of First Platoon that have died since returning home - most lost their battle to illnesses related to exposure from Agent Orange.
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David Darrell Abernathy was born on February 8, 1949, in California and died on June 10, 1978, at the age of 29. He was buried at Rose Hills Memorial Park, Whittier, Los Angeles County, California. David last resided in California. I couldn’t find any information about David or locate a family member.
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Michael L. Stout, 37, of rural West Burlington, died from complications from Agent Orange related cancer Thursday, Dec. 18, 1986.
He was born Jan. 25, 1949, in Burlington, the son of LeRoy and Lois Brockway Stout. On Oct. 18, 1975, in Hamilton, Ill., he married Lori Humphry. Mr. Stout was a fireman paramedic at the Iowa Army Ammunition Plant. He was a veteran of the Vietnam War, receiving the Purple Heart and Bronze Star. He was a member of the board of directors of Beacon house, a volunteer fireman in West Burlington, a member of the West Burlington Lions and belonged to Grace United Methodist Church. Surviving are his wife; two sons, Wesley and Travis; one brother, Dennis Stout of New London; his father and step-mother, Mr. and Mrs. LeRoy Stout of Bettendorf; and his mother and step-father, Mr. and Mrs. Robert Bratton of New London. |
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Peter Zink was born May 3, 1949, and died on October 31, 1991, at the age of 42, He is buried at the Saint Johns Cemetery at Lansingburgh, New York. Pete had died from cancer attributed to Agent Orange.
Peter Zink at the Chu Lai hospital, 91st Evac, after being wounded January 14, 1970. Photograph provided by Bill Davenport. |
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Longtime resident William "Bill" Davenport, 62, of Longview has been fighting cancer, and other illnesses from Agent Orange for some time and he finally lost the battle July 30, 2011, at the Veteran’s Administration Rehabilitation Center in Vancouver.
He was born Dec. 13, 1948, in Yakima, and moved to the local area 51 years ago. Bill served in the Army during the Vietnam War from 1969 to 1970. He was awarded the Bronze Star with an oak leaf, a Purple Heart with two oak leaves and a Combat Infantry Badge. Bill was an emergency medical technician with American Medical before retiring in 2006. He enjoyed fishing with his buddies at the county line. He is survived by a sister, Linda Davenport of Long Beach; a brother and sister-in-law, Ben and Nancy Davenport of Castle Rock; two nephews, Benjamin Davenport of Chehalis and Ryan Davenport of Castle Rock; a niece, Lindsey Lonner of Kelso; two great-nephews, Chase and Nathan; and two great-nieces, Kehna and Maddison. Bill was preceded in death by a brother, Bob Davenport. Inurnment with full military honors was at the Willamette National Cemetery in Portland. Cremation has taken place under the direction of Davies Cremation & Burial Service, Vancouver. |
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Jack F. Lanzer was born on October 6th, 1948 and died on August 22nd, 2012 at the age of 63. Jack was buried at Calverton National Cemetery in Calverton, New York. I couldn't find any information about Jack or locate a family member.
Jack Lanzer getting ready to go back to Duc Pho. Photograph provided by Mike Dankert. |
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Terry L. Woolums, 63 formerly of Decatur passed away on Sunday, January 20, 2013 in Danville from illnesses caused by Agent Orange exposure.
Terry was born March 30, 1949 in Decatur, IL, the son of Arthur and Mollie (Seay) Woolums. He graduated from Mt. Zion high school and proudly served his country in Viet Nam as a member of 3rd Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment. Terry is survived by his daughter Mollie Woolums of Indianapolis, grandchildren, Tianna, Morkell and Mareco; sisters, Cathy Rittenhouse of Forrest, IL. Nancy (George) Wallis of Boody, many cousins, nieces, nephews, family members and friends. Terry was preceded in death by his parents. Terry Woolums (on your left) in a position with Cliff Sivadge. Photograph provided by Cliff Sivadge. |
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Allyn Paul Buff, 64, of Libby died Wednesday, July 24, 2013, at his home. He was born Dec.13, 1948, in Pomona, Calif. He attended school and lived most of his young life in Cucamonga, Calif.
Allyn was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1969 and served his country in Vietnam, earning two Bronze Service Stars as a combat infantryman. He was honorably discharged from service in 1971. Upon returning home, Allyn married his sweetheart, Darrylyn Stockrahm, in 1972. They had three children. Their family moved to Libby in 1979. The couple divorced in 1984 but remained friends until Darrylyn’s death. Allyn spent his early years in Libby working as a mechanic at Libby Dam until 1990. He then purchased a well-drilling rig and started his little company, Clearwater Drilling, with the help of his dear friend, Marlene Raitt. When he wasn’t drilling holes in the ground all over Lincoln County, the avid fisherman could be found somewhere on his beloved Kootenai River trying to best his record catch of a 19-pound, 34-inch rainbow trout. Many people also knew him as a classic-car and hot-rod enthusiast, and he spent much of his time tinkering with his old Chevys. Allyn was preceded in death by his mother, Alice Rantos. He is survived by his daughters, Cyndi (Joe) Miller of Libby, Paula Buff of Seattle and Lynda Buff of Libby; his sister, Lynn (D.J.) Martin of Arizona; brothers, Rick (Gloria) Tham of Prescott, Ariz., Chris (Sherri) Tham of Petaluma, Calif.; an uncle, Paul Buff of Mobile, Ala.; four granddaughters, Natesha, Tiahna, Shalen and Dustina; and numerous nieces, nephews, good friends, and neighbors. |
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Michael "Doc" Windows, 65, of Adelphia Road, Everett, passed away on Sunday, October 5, 2014 at home. He was born on February 22, 1949 in Pittsburgh, PA; a son of the late Hubert and Mildred (Brady) Windows. On February 30, 1997 in Cumberland,
Maryland; he married Connie L. (Strait) Windows. She preceded him in death on March 6, 2013. He is survived by a step-son: David L. Strait and wife Tammy (Price), Everett, PA Step-Grandchildren: Megan, Tyler, Trevor and Madison Strait Sister-in-law: Linda Windows Three Nieces and Two Nephews He was preceded in death by two brothers and a sister-in-law: Kenneth Windows and Jack Windows and wife Mary Ann. Mike attended Seven Dolors of the B.V.M. Catholic Church, Beans Cove. He attended Bedford High School. He served in the United States Army during the Vietnam War. Mike was a jack of all trades working various places throughout the years, but mainly working in the metal industry. He was a member of the Everett Redman Social Club and the Everett American Legion Post No. 08. He enjoyed hunting. |
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Jerome M. "Jerry" Zwiesler Age 69 of Vandalia, passed away Monday, January 30, 2017, at Christ Hospital in Cincinnati where he had been treated for Agent Orange related congestive heart failure.
He is preceded in death by his parents Leo M. and Angela Zwiesler. Survived by his wife of 45 years Ann (Ziehler), daughter Jennifer (James) Duckro of Columbus, son Matt Zwiesler of Chicago, 2 grandchildren Walter and Ella Duckro, sister Sue (Lou) Schulker of Dayton, brother Marty (Lynn) of MI, sisters and brothers-in-law Carolyn (Chick) Klohe of Dayton, Paul (Carol) Ziehler of WI, Tony (Marg) Ziehler of Akron. He was a 1966 graduate of Chaminade High School and the University of Dayton from 1974 to 1978. Jerry was a US Army Vietnam Veteran and a member of St. Christopher's Catholic Church. Mass of Christian Burial 11 AM Friday, February 10th at St. Christopher Catholic Church 435 E. National Rd. Vandalia, OH 45377 by Father John Tonkin. Interment Dayton National Cemetery. The family will receive friends Thursday, February 9th from 4 to 8 PM at Baker-Hazel & Snider Funeral Home 5555 Philadelphia Dr. at N. Main St. Memorial. Contributions may be made to The Christ Hospital-Heart and Vascular LVAD team, St. Christopher Church or Chaminade Julienne High School, in Jerry's memory. |
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Ronald Warren Owens, 74, Retired Postal Carrier, died July 6, 2017. Survived by his son, Michael W. Owens of Wichita; daughters, Kimberly (Jason) Swart of Milan, KS, Vicki (Jack) Frost of Everett, WA; sister, Rosemary (Robert) Ketzner of Wichita.
Ronald was serving in the National Guard as a sergeant and had worked for the US Postal Service before being called to active duty. He was from Wichita, Kansas, and had arrived at the First Platoon early June 1969. He wasn’t too tall, but chubby, with dark hair. I was unsure of his age, but he was older than most of us. He stayed with the command group most of the time and occasionally served as a team leader in the squad. Ronald liked to talk and did so on many topics. We found most of his conversations entertaining. It was on August 15, 1969 that Ronald saved my life. |
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Jack Lee Jurgensen was born August 10, 1949, and died peacefully in his sleep losing his battle to Agent Orange on September 9, 2017, at the age of 68, at his home in Redding California. He is buried at the Northern California Veterans Cemetery, Igo, Shasta County, California.
Born Jackie Lee Jurgensen, in Redding CA on August 10, 1949, to James and Jeannette of Central Valley (now known as Shasta Lake, CA)- he was the oldest of their two boys. He graduated from Central Valley High School in 1967, and was considered one of the smartest in his class by many classmates- studies came easy to him, he enjoyed fast cars, and he did not even start dating until his senior year where he met his first love Nancy Meechum. Soon, after that, he met and married his young girlfriend, Kathrine, who became pregnant with their first child before he was drafted into the Army, and then sent off to Vietnam on 10/3/68. Vietnam: Operated out of Chu-Lai, and Hue, Vietnam. He was a grade E-5 Sergeant, earning several metals, and training in Basic Combat, Chemical/Biological/Radio-logical warfare, and Survival/Escape/Evasion training. He was a 2nd class gunner w/ M-60, Expert w/ M-16, and a Marksman w/ M-14 & M-16. After fulfilling his obligations, he re-enlisted and served a total of 3 years, 8 months, and 16 days in active duty- ending with an honorable discharge. Hobbies: He loved fishing, was a huge boxing fan, and enjoyed trading/collecting and “finding treasures” (he loved a good thrift store or yard sale). |
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Leslie Curtis “L.C.” Pressley, 69, of 133 Crimson Leaf Lane, passed away peacefully on Saturday, July 21, 2018, at St. Francis Hospital. He'd been fighting cancer, and other illnesses from Agent Orange exposure.
Born in Greenville, he was a son of the late William Curtis and Katherine Lesley Pressley. He graduated from Liberty High School and later received two Associate Degrees from Tri-County Technical College. He later retired from Delta Woodside Mills where he was an industrial engineer and manager. L.C. was a United States Army veteran of the Vietnam War, where he served with the 1st Platoon Company A 3rd Battalion/1st infantry Regiment 11th Brigade Americal Division, January 1969-January1970. He was Lieutenant John Baxters Radio Telephone Operator (RTO) until July 1969 and then served in the battalion communications section. Surviving are a daughter, Rhonda Segars of Pickens; two sons, Blake Pressley of Seneca, and Mitch Pressley of Liberty; a sister, Darlene Fowler of Liberty; a special friend and companion, Brenda Cartee of Liberty; also surviving are 7 grandchildren, Cy Rampey, Colby Pressley, Cal Rampey, Haleigh Pressley, Dillon Pressley, Brent Segars, and Carlie Pressley. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by a brother, Billy Pressley. The family will celebrate and honor his life by hosting a visitation Friday evening, July 27, 2018, from 6:00 until 8:00 PM at the Liberty Mortuary. |
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Fred Edward Katz, 72, of Tekonsha, Michigan, went home to be with the Lord on Friday, January 14, 2022 at home. surrounded by his loving family.
He was born on April 12, 1949 to Joseph and Daisy (Tyler) Katz in Coldwater, Michigan. Fred was a graduate of Tekonsha High School. On March 9, 1973 Fred married Dixie VanWinkle in Tekonsha, Michigan. He was Honorably Discharged from the United States Army on April 1, 1975, attaining the rank of SP4. Fred worked as a Forklift Driver at Kellogg Cereal Company in the warehouse for 39 years, retiring in 2008. Fred was a member and deacon at Crossroads Bible Church in Sherwood, Michigan and the Kellogg 25 Year Club. One of Fred's greatest passions was being a lifelong farmer. His gardens and fruit trees were some of the most bountiful in the area. He was an excellent woodworker and carpenter. For example, he made each of his children a gift out of wood for their high school graduations. Fred would not pass up an opportunity to pull a good-natured prank on family and friends. He will be fondly remembered for his meticulous manner and always being a positive influence with people he encountered. Fred is survived by his loving spouse; Dixie his children; Tricia (Dave) Dietz of Middleville, Michigan, Greg (Amy) Katz of Union City, Michigan, Stacey Boyd of Coldwater, Michigan and Joe (Carrie) Katz of Coldwater Michigan, his grandchildren; Trevor Stout, Tyler Stout, Mitchell Dietz, Hannah Reichhart, Christian Reichhart, Temperance Boyd, Jereme Boyd Jr., Lyndsey Katz, Brady Katz, Sidney Katz; Heidi Katz and Ilsa Katz; and his brother, Dave Katz of Tekonsha, Michigan. |
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