Names of local soldiers who died in the Vietnam war are
remembered in scrapbook on display
Four were from Hollister, 21 from Gilroy, six from Morgan Hill and two from San Martin. They died serving their country in the Vietnam War, and their names have been memorialized in a scrapbook that South Valley residents are invited to view.
The book, on permanent display at the Gilroy Veterans Hall at 74 W. Sixth St., is the brainchild of former longtime Gilroy teacher Michele Carr; Pat Cloecker, one of her fellow teachers; their students; and Carr’s daughter, Heather DeRosa.
About 10 years ago, Carr, Cloecker and their students traveled to Washington, D.C. to visit the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. A local member of the American Legion had given Carr all the names of the Vietnam veterans from Hollister, Gilroy, Morgan Hill and San Martin. The students were each given a name, and when they arrived at the memorial, they were in charge of getting the rubbings of their respective assigned names.
“Taking the students to Washington, D.C. was so emotional and so moving,” Carr said. “It means a lot to be able to honor the veterans in this way, especially the veterans from Vietnam because of all the controversy and misunderstanding in that war.”
Although Carr’s original plan was to do something with the rubbings once the class arrived back in Gilroy, it wasn’t until 2000 that she came across the rubbings, which she had kept tucked away in a safe place. In the meantime, DeRosa had become interested in scrapbooking, taking classes and learning how to create well-designed, detail-oriented photo albums.
Carr asked her daughter if she’d be willing to compile the rubbings into a scrapbook to present to the American Legion. DeRosa agreed, and with the help of her scrapbooking teacher, Kim Mammino from Creative Memories, she designed an album with not only the rubbings, but also various memorabilia such as brochures from the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, uniform patches and Vietnam War-themed bumper stickers.
On behalf of DeRosa’s mother, Cloecker and their students, DeRosa presented the album May 19 to Wayne Cegelske, post chaplan for post 6309 VFW.
“We’re very appreciative of this,” Cegelske said. “It’s beautifully put together, and we certainly appreciate the effort that went into it.”
DeRosa, born in Mountain View, grew up in east San Jose but started going to school in Gilroy in sixth grade. She graduated from Gilroy High School in 1991 and lived in Hollister for five years before moving to Marysville, in Yuba County. One of the reasons she wanted to put together the album was to honor the fallen who many locals knew or were related to, she said.
“It was really neat to do because I don’t have any family who served in Vietnam. My grandfather served in World War II, and my cousin is serving in Iraq,” she said. “But even as a kid, even though we studied the different wars, I didn’t know that much about (the Vietnam War). So I wanted to honor those people who have fought and died for our country in a climate similar to our current situation in Iraq, being a place many people believe we don’t belong.”
The album will be in a locked case at the hall, and the pages will be turned every couple of weeks so visitors can view different names, Cegelske said. The display is open to the public.
Another reason DeRosa said she wanted to do the album is because many of the local families who knew those who fought and died in Vietnam might never get the chance to go to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
“We’re still a very small, hometown environment. Not everyone leaves,” she said. “I know there are a lot of families out there who have never been able to see the names.”
The album, about 13 pages, is navy blue with gold trim. The names are about an inch high, and its pages are decorated with various details such as red, white and blue stars and stripes, camouflage, and different borders. The names are under a protective clear cover.
Near the inside cover reads: “Dedicated with honor and pride to those who have served and fallen. Michelle Carr and Heather DeRosa, 2006.” Also in the album is an anonymous quote from a plaque on a monument in Hollister’s Veterans Hall: “So young, so brave, with certain patriotism and uncertain resolve, they served.”
