Please support the Vietnam Veterans Honor Society, Call: 815-968-1040
LZ Peace Memorial

Merry Christmas
It was colder that the proverbial "you know what" but I went to the LZ Peace Memorial on Christmas day. I posted some pictures and a video on our SmugMug page. It's a 3-minute video with no audio.
Have a Merry Christmas and the Holiday Season.
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
MERRY CHRISTMAS and HAPPY NEW YEAR
Our Chaplain, Angel 6. and his wife provided us with a poem and a Christmas video that features some of our brothers and members of the American military who fought in the Vietnam War. Rockford veterans and supporters show up at near the :50 second mark but you should watch the whole thing. See the link to the video below or click here.
This is Angel 6 writing. The poem itself came from a desire to express sentiments I had been feeling for years, ever since the day the Vietnam Veterans Honor Society and the Smoke Brothers first took me under their wing upon my return from Iraq. Vietnam Vets truly were my heroes while I was growing up. For them to look me in the eye and call me "brother" meant more to me than I could possibly express!
Here's the poem.
I came home.
You were the tip of the spear making sure I was welcomed home!
You looked me in the eyes and called me brother! The healing began.
Vietnam Vet, you are my hero! Vietnam Vet, I thank Almighty God, you are my brother!
Angel 6 continues. My wife came up with the video idea. Our church for more than half a century has put on a summer music concert. It has always had patriotic elements. For years the only theme was in fact patriotism, the whole God & Country thing. My wife now oversees the concert. She was familiar with my poem. She presented her video idea. It grew from there. One of her colleagues came to a Smoke at the LZ with his cameras. He then produced the video for our 2022 Summer Music Celebration.
Here's the link to the video. It's on a Googe photo page.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1nvhb_g-vxM2tGCWht_g8tqnLExf9329K/view
Blessings,
Steve Cooper (Angel 6)
"... whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things." Philippians 4:8 (NIV)
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
Hey, Blackjack 6, thanks for the door. "Capt. Ken"
Thanks to all everyone who braved the cold, 40 mile an hour wind on Veterans Day. Click this link to see almost 200 pictures and one or two good videos. It was nice to see and hear Mayor Tom McNamara. Here's a little known fact: his father, John McNamara, former Mayor of Rockford served in Vietnam as an Army Officer. Go Papa, and God Bless them all. "Capt. Ken"
Please join us at 11:00 a.m. Friday, November 11, 2022 when we honor all our Veterans. We'll be at Midway Village, LZ Peace Memorial, 6799 Guilford Road and we hope to see you. Thank you for your support and THANK YOU veterans for your service. See you Friday morning. God Bless the United States of America.
The 2022 Fall VetsRoll, sponsored by Finnegans' RV Center, was a great success. Here's a link to the videos from channel 23, WIFR. Welcome Home, "Skipper" and "Admiral" and "Tango" and "Ramrod." Thanks to Aaron and Andy.
Thanks again from Nick Parnello, aka, Blackjack 6 to all those who came out August 7, 2022 for the LZ Purple Heart Memorial dedication. If you have any pictures please email them to FlyNickNow@gmail.com. Click here to go to SmugMug to see the 158 pictures and videos we took.
Sept. 24, 2022 Pictures from our LZ Smoker Brothers "Capt. Ken" Nelson, Tango. Ramrod and others took of Sgt. Flag's tour of the Peace Memorial and the new Purple Heart Memorial. What a great tribute to those wounded in combat and all who honorably served. We are so blessed to have all those who volunteer and take care of the LZ Peace Memorial. Every one of them. And a big HOORAH to all our Smoke Brothers.
The pictures of the unveiling of the Purple Heart Memorial will be online pretty soon. Thanks for your patience. Here's the link to all our pictures.
OPERATION LZ PURPLE. The LZ Smoke Brothers are proud to announce the birth of a new memorial at the LZ Peace Memorial and you're invited to attend. As always, Gold Star Mother Andie White will be with us. Please join with us at 2:00 P.M. Sunday, August 7, 2022. We're located at the northwest corner of the Midway Village campus, over by the Central Christian Church's parking lot. Here's a link to everything you ever wanted to know about the Purple Heart but were afraid to ask. Remember, that's Sunday, August 7, 2022 at 2:00 in the afternoon. Thank you for caring and for your support of all veterans.
Daniel "Seabee 1" Burd, a Vietnam veteran and Navy Seabee, died at home on Wednesday, June 29, 2022. Nick Parnello gives everyone a nickname so Dan was appropriately named "Seabee 1". Seabee truly was Number 1 in everything he did. Whether he was visiting and giving communion to the sick, or helping out at St. Rita's Catholic Church, or doing his thing at the LZ Peace Memorial, Seabee put his heart and soul into everything he did.
Seabee was one of the original LZ Smoke Brothers. These are the folks who take care of the LZ Peace Memorial and prepare it for military ceremonies on Memorial Day, Flag Day, Agent Orange Ceremony and Veterans Day. To many of us, Seabee was the Smoke Brothers chief cook and bottle washer. He loved grilling brats and he made a pretty good cup of what he called Navy coffee.
Some of us were fortunate to have visited Dan the day before he passed away. We'd like to thank his wife, Lori and son, Todd "Senior Chief" for allowing us to be with Seabee one last time.
Funeral services will be at Fitzgerald Funeral Home, 1860 S. Mulford Rd., Rockford, Illinois on, Wednesday, July 6, between 5 and 7 pm. Here's the link to Dan's obituary at Fitzgerald Funeral home.
Flag Day 2022 at the LZ Peace Memorial. We have a video and slideshow of how we respectfully and reverently retire Old Glory on Flag Day 2022 at the LZ Peace Memorial. Mr. Marine explains why the flag is folded 13 times. Then he picks up one of 13 folded flags and hands it to Charlie 6, who along with Skipper unfolds the flag and they place it in the Ceremonial Burning device. They salute the flag as it is retired and the ashes are buried later in a solemn ceremony. Thank you for coming to help us honor Old Glory.
This Flag Day was one of the hottest ever. One of the Vietnam veterans said, "If you think this was hot, you should go back to Vietnam, where it was always stinking hot, with bullets and death in the air. The Memorial Day story & slideshow follows this story.
Below are two links to the pictures Capt. Ken took, and the beautiful cards we gave out.
Pictures of our Flag Retirement Ceremony held here at the LZ Peace Memorial on Flag Day 2022
PIctures of the handout cards we always hand out.

Vietnam Veterans on the Wall of Honor.
Thanks to Rod Schwandt, USAF and his wife for this great photo.
If you'd like more information you can to talk with one of the founders, please call Nick Parnello at 815-968-1040.
The Wall of Honor, LZ Peace Memorial
The names of over 75 veterans are etched into the wall, forever reminding us that their courage was our greatest triumph and their sacrifice was our greatest loss. Also, in this peaceful setting, a Huey helicopter that served in Vietnam rests above the Wall of Honor.
Every Memorial Day and Veterans Day at 11 a.m. members of the Vietnam Veterans Honor Society hold a memorial service honoring those who died in Vietnam and in all other American wars.
The wall itself is crafted from Academy Black granite which was quarried from the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, in the small town of Clovis, California, near Fresno. This granite was formed during the Jurassic era, when dinosaurs roamed the earth.
The Academy Black granite is used in the Korean War Memorial in Washington, DC;
Guided tours of the LZ Peace Memorial are available. Please call Nick Parnello at 815-968-1040 for more information. Nick is one of the founders of the Vietnam Veterans Honor Society and has an encyclopedic memory. He can probably tell you when each phase of the memorial was started and completed.
A personally guided tour generally takes about an hour. But of course it can last longer and when it's over you're welcome to stay as long as you'd like. The tours are free but if you'd like to make a donation* to the Vietnam Veterans Honor Society it would be greatly appreciated.
Not many people can get up close and personal to a real "Vietnam War helicopter," one that actually flew and saw combat, but you can do that here on Nick's guided tour. He has the keys for everything so he'll open the doors and you can look inside.
Try to imagine how your son or that skinny neighbor kid who was only 18 years old felt flying into combat. That's a scary thought. It's guaranteed to give you goosebumps and put a lump in your throat.
Many family members of the Heroes on the Wall will come here to be closer to their loved one whether it's their father, their son, their husband, or an old friend. One man who comes here several times a year went to grade school with six of these Vietnam veterans whose names are etched in stone.
Army reservist veteran, Quinten Barclay, who was the President of Cummings Advertising, frequently came to the Wall for times of quiet contemplation and to meditate.
Quint, as his friends called him, died several years ago, and his wife, Martha, donated one of the benches you see surrounding the wall. You can see about 12 benches so there's always a nice place to rest and think about what was, and, what might have been.
God bless these brave Americans. May they rest in peace.
Click here for a PDF map and story about Black Academy Granite.
*The Vietnam Veteran's Honor Society is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization and contributions and donations to us are tax-decuctible to the extent of the law.
Vietnam veterans from Winnebago county.
Vietnam Veterans Honor Society
Click on a name for more information and it will open in a new window. Thank you.
John Charles Alberts, Army, South Beloit
James AllanAscher, Army, Winnebago
Melvin Ballard, Army, Rockford
Ralph Anthony Barcelona, Army, Rockford
Norman Elmer Beck, Marines, Rockford
Larry Dean Bell, Marines, Rockford
Wayne Valgeen Blake, Marines, Rockford
Alan Lee Boyer, Army, Rockford
George Richard Butler, Marines, Durand
Arnoldo J. Cardenas, Army, Rockford
Curtis Paul Challberg, Army, Loves Park
Eldon Dean Coldren Jr., Army, Rockford
Daniel Coleman, Marines, Rockford
Michael Lee Collins, Army, Rockford
John C. Davis, Army, South Beloit
Earmon Ray Derrington, Army, Rockford
Martin John DiMarzio, Army, Rockford
John Paul Didier Jr., Army, Rockford
Curtis Lee Duckett, Army, Rockford
George N. Fanis Jr., Army, Rockford
Patrick Dale Finch, Army, Rockford
David Eugene Flaningam, Marines, Rockford
Thomas Duane Glawe, Marines, Rockford
Thomas A. Goebel, Marines, Rockford
Ray Lonnie Gonce, Marines, Loves Park
David Arlin Gulrantson, Army, Rockford
Richard F. Hawks, Marines, Rockford
Ronnie L. Hawks, Marines, Rockford
Daniel Robert Hoffman, Army, Rockford
John R. Hornsby, Army, Rockford
Michael Joseph Ingrassia, Army, Rockford
John Jeffrey Jensen, Army, Rockford
Daniel Gene Johnson, Army, Rockford
Gerald Dennis Kiesling, Army, Rockford
Larry William Knight, Navy, Rockford
Terry Lee Larsen, Army, Rockford
Steve Donald Lee, Army, Rockford
Notley Gwynn Maddox, Air Force, Rockford
Larry Dale McGhee, Army, Rockford
Michael John McGlothlin, Marines, Pecatonica
Michael James McKinson, Marines, Pecatonica
Donald L. Meehan Jr., Army, Rockford
Gary Lee Mizner, Army, Rockford
Philip Gwyn Nichols, Army, Rockford
David Donell Nicholson, Marines, Rockford
Lawrence E. Orsborn, Navy, Rockford
James H. Owens Jr., Army, Rockford
Stanley F. Patterson, Army, Loves Park
Wallis Gilbert Patterson, Army, Rockford
Robert Verner Pearson, Army, Rockford
Feliz Perris, Marines, Loves Park
Roderick James Rodenbeck, Army, Rockford
Henry Clyde Sanders, Marines, Rockford
Kris Edward Shaw, Army, Rockford
Lora William Snyder, Marines, Rockford
Gordon William Stark, Army, Rockford
Charles Stanley Tarbert, Army, Pecatonica
A. W. Tripplett, Marines, Rockford
Ronald A. Van Wambeke, Marines, Rockford
Marcelino Vargas Jr., Marines, Rockford
John Wesley Vowles, Marines, Cherry Valley
Harold Francis Werle, Marines, Rockford
Kenneth Leroy White, Army, Rockford
Jerry Wayne Wickam, Army, Rockford
Lonnie Williams, Army, Rockford
Robert Earl Williams, Marines, Rockford
John Wayne Woolbright, Marines, Rockford
Kurt Frederick Zimmerman, Marines, Durand
Lester “Lek” Vance, Army, Rockford
Craig Walter Anderson, Navy, Rockford
David Lawrence Lyons, Navy, Rockford
Ronnie Albert Hecker, Army, Rockford

Judy Boyer Bouchard,
Alan's sister.
Here is a photo of my POW/MIA flag. I have flown the flag for many years, in order to honor my brother, SFC Alan L. Boyer, MIA, Laos, March 28, 1968, as well as all other POW/MIAs. When people stop to inquire about the "black flag," I am pleased to be able to spread awareness of this issue.
My mother, Dorothy Boyer, now 89 years old, has flown her POW/MIA flag (and American flag, of course) for as long as I can remember. Her picture has already appeared in the VietNow National Magazine. I'm glad to carry on the tradition.--Judy Boyer
Our thanks to Vietnow magazine for permission to use this photo and article.
To read the full story about POW/MIA flags in Vietnow National magazine click here.