Fifty years ago Clermont County was in the midst of a massive transformation. The completion of I-275 brought with it a tremendous population explosion to Union and Miami townships. What had once been a reliably Democratic county became a Republican stronghold.

Gary Knepp
 

There were other major building projects that laid the foundation of who we are today. State Route 32 was extended. The East Gate area became a regional commercial hub. Mercy Hospital, Clermont College, The Clermont Airport, and East Fork State Park all began during this period of time.

And while all of this was going on, America was fighting a war 8700 miles away in Vietnam. 2.7 million Americans served “in country” during the war. More than 58,000 men and eight women died there. Another 304,000 were wounded in action. There are 1600 Americans still listed as missing in action. Tens of thousands more men have died of Agent Orange complications since the end of the war.

Clermont County sent her boys to the war. They served in all branches and in both support and combat arms. Due to the nature of the war, there were no established lines, making everyone subject to enemy attack.

The men, especially those based in the north near the border with North Vietnam, ‘humped’ up and down rugged mountains. They often hacked through nearly impenetrable jungle where temperatures soared to 100 degrees and the humidity hovered at 100 percent. They waded through rice paddies fertilized with human waste. They pushed through razor-sharp elephant grass. Leaches burrowed into their legs when rivers were crossed. Jungle rot ate their skin. Poisonous vipers were always present. And there was a ruthless, determined enemy trying to kill our men.

Thirty-nine Clermonters died in Vietnam from combat, accidents, and one who was murdered by another G.I. Twenty-three were members of the U.S. Army, ten were Marines, five were U.S. Airmen, and one was a Navy corpsman attached to a Marine unit. Three were officers. Eleven men died in 1968, the deadliest year of the war with three passing on February 9, 1968.

The Goshen and Milford communities were especially hit hard, losing six and seven men respectively.

The Goshen men were Bruce Griffin, John Lambert, Virgil Hiter, John McCoy, Gary Taylor and Richard Sanders. Tragically, five of these men lived on Parker Road and the sixth lived within a mile of the road. The Goshen community, led by Linda Griffin-Bruce’s sister – recently erected a granite monument at Goshen High School honoring these men.

The seven Milford casualties were:  Louis Speidel, Daniel Feck, Dennis Johnson, Rodney Huddleston, Clifford Leffler, Roger Lay, and Gerald Hill. Five of the seven men were volunteers. Milford High School will be remembering these men at a meeting in May when it dedicates a new plaque at the Board Office.

It’s very important that we remember these men and the sacrifices their families made on our behalf by erecting these monuments. But it is well to remember the words of Pericles, the great Greek general and statesman, said over 2,000 years ago:  “What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone, but what is woven into the lives of others.”

Knepp is an attorney who lives in Miami Township. He is the author of, “Beyond the Names – A Tribute to Clermont County Ohio Vietnam War Dead.”