Focus Issue 05

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THE VIETNAM VETERANS MEMORIAL MOVING WALL

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Moving Wall arrived in Roswell the morning of June 10 and assembly was completed that evening. The following day, June 11, the Wall was officially dedicated, and it remains up through June 17 at the Russ DeKay Soccer Field, west of the Wool Bowl. Throughout its stay in Roswell, local Vietnam veterans and Army National Guardsmen guard the Wall and assist visitors in finding the names of their fallen comrades and loved ones. A reading of names of those from all other counties of New Mexico that are on the Wall will be read at noon each day, grouped by counties.

This Moving Wall was brought to the community by the Roswell Hispano Chamber of Commerce and Visitors’ Bureau, and local veterans organizations. Many months, planning committees, groups and organizations, businesses and individuals were also involved in bring the Wall to this community.

The Moving Wall, which has been touring the U.S., thus far, for 17 years, is a smaller, nearly half-size, facsimile of the original, stationary one in Washington DC. To reach everyone in outlying areas, more than one replica Moving Wall tours the country. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington DC, of polished granite, is 493.5 feet long, and 10.2 feet high in the center or vertex, whereas the Moving Wall is 252.83 feet long and six feet high at the vertex. The Moving Wall is a total of 74 separate frames, each containing two panels, made of aluminum panels, painted with a gloss black mirror finish, and the names are silk-screen stencils. On the wall, as of January 1, 2002, are 58,225 names, including prisoner-of-war (POW) and missing-in-action (MIA). There are currently 600 more names to be added.

Three flags fly at the Wall Memorial in Roswell: the American flag, the New Mexico State flag and (foreground) the black MIA (missing-in-action) flag.

A + beside the name signifies MIA or POW. When the remains are recovered, the + is made into a diamond-shape. A circle around the + signifies that the person was later freed or brought home. Eight women are named on the Wall, seven Army nurses and one Air Force nurse; 16 military chaplains are listed, two of those awarded the Medal of Honor.

Items left as personal memorials beside the Moving Wall during its tours around the U.S. are later boxed, the origin (ie. Roswell, NM) noted, and sent to San Jose, California and placed in the museum at the permanent Wall site.

On the Wall are the significant years 1959 and 1975 — dates when the first known casualties and the last occurred in Vietnam. After the dedication of the Memorial Wall, it was discovered that a soldier was killed in action earlier than 1959 — in 1957. The last 18 casualties of the Vietnam war occurred on May 15, 1975 during a rescue of a U.S. freighter and its crew.

Vietnam Veterans from Chaves County killed in action, and named on the Wall are: Cpt. John K. Adams; Pfc. Abelardo Araujo; Sp5 Rodney Joe Black; Sp4 Monty Doyal Boyer; Sp4 Larry Paul Campos; Pfc Melvin Carrillo; Pfc. John Rudolph Cummins, Jr.; Bul3 George Robert DeShurley; Cpl James Lester Foster; SSgt Robert Lee Graham; Sp4 William Coy Jones; Pfc. Billie Jaye Marling; Sp4 Sammy Chacon Romero; Pfc. Trine Romero Jr.; Pfc. Hector Mario Saenz; Spr Jose L. Sanchez; Pfc. Cresencio Paul Sanchez; Pfc. Julius Mitchell Sanders; Maj. Gerald Shields Simons; Cpl Bennie Lee West; Sp4 Lavon Stephen Wilson; and Cpl Arturo Sylvester Sisneros.

Members of New Mexico Military Institute Alumni Association previously traveled to Washington DC to make rubbings of all names of former NMMI cadets permanently inscribed on the Wall. Those 28 servicemen hold an honored place in the Vietnam memorial at NMMI.

The first national Vietnam Veterans Memorial was conceived and built by Dr. Victor Westphall of Angel Fire, New Mexico. He began construction of the memorial, a beautiful, uniquely shaped amphitheatre, in the high mountain setting of Angel Fire in northeastern New Mexico in memory of his son, David, and those who died with him in Vietnam. Like the one in Angel Fire, the idea of another Vietnam Veterans Memorial — this one to be located in our nation’s capital — began with one person. It was funded by citizen donations, designed by Maya Ying Lin, and dedicated in 1982. The idea of a Moving Wall — taking the Wall across the country so its presence could “touch” more people — came from three Vietnam Veterans from California. Those same three Vietnam Veterans created the Moving Wall. The Moving Wall, like the original in Washington DC, was paid for by public donations. Within 4 days of its completion in October 1984, it was displayed at its first scheduled location in Tyler, Texas and continues to travel all over the U.S., dedicated “To Honor, To Heal and To Remember.”

The 2K Car Show, called the biggest gathering of Volkswagen New Beetles in the country, rolls into Roswell June 14 through June 16. New Beetles and their owners gather in Roswell from all over the U.S. Their event begins Friday night with a sky-watch party at the Club House west of Roswell. Representatives of the Roswell Planetarium will be on hand to assist sky-watchers looking for UFOs and other interesting phenomena in the sky above Roswell. Later that night, the Beetles, bedecked and glowing, parade back into Roswell. Saturday is the New Beetle Only Car Show at the Roswell Convention and Civic Center on North Main. At least 50 trophies will be given to the owners, and vendor booths will sell Beetle-mania stuff. Beginning at 3 p.m. is the New Beetle Parade of Color; a “Come as Your Favorite Alien” party, with dinner, dancing and costume awards, will be held at the Civic Center that night. Sunday, participators choose among many activities, including a visit to the International UFO Museum and Research Center and the Alien Zone, a Beetle-caravan south to Carlsbad Caverns or west to Mescalero for the Rally of the Mountain Gods.

The most important of these current events is our nation’s Independence Day, celebrated on the Fourth of July each year, commemorating our nation’s independence in 1776. It is also the day, along with Memorial Day, when we honor all of our veterans from all wars, and all of our servicemen currently in the military.

Since 9-11, Memorial Day and Fourth of July have become even more important to U.S. citizens. The acts that led us into an ongoing War on Terrorism shook our nation. That shaking awakened Americans’ (too often slumbering) patriotism and appreciation of our servicemen and women, both in the military and those serving within the community who dedicate their lives to keeping all of us safe and free. In addition to 9-11, Roswell suffered two of its own terrible events. A helicopter crash took the lives of two New Mexico State Police officers. Another situation led to the deaths of Roswell’s Fire Chief and an American Medical Response paramedic when they responded to an emergency. It also resulted in the death of a neighboring city employee who tried to aid the burn victim, and to the serious injury of that employee’s child. (See archived March issue for details.) Each event thrust this community into deep mourning, but also caused this community to become stronger and more united, as residents gathered close with a common heartache and rendered aid and comfort to the survivors and victims’ families, and to each other.

On Memorial Day — in honor of all who died saving others on 9-11, those who died in and near Roswell in recent events, and all who regularly risk their lives for residents — the Roswell Fire Department, American Medical Response, Chaves County Sheriff’s Office, New Mexico State Police and Roswell Police Department were recognized.

2002 Fourth of July Salute to Veterans and Fireworks Extravaganza at Cielo Grande Recreation Area begins with patriotic music provided by the Chaves County Community Youth Band Camp at 6:30 p.m. The parade of veterans begins at 8 p.m. honoring all area veterans of all wars, and the Fireworks Extravaganza begins at 9:15 p.m.

Sponsors of the event are: Roswell Fireworks Committee; Leadership Roswell Alumni Association; Roswell Fire Department; Roswell Recreation and Parks; Mike Satterfield and Mike Puckett, fireworks chairs; John Jerge, CPA-Treasurer; city employees Laurie Jerge and Shelia McKnight present the Salute to Veterans.

The Roswell 2002 UFO Festival runs from Thursday, July 4, through Sunday, July 7. The many events take place all over the city. Thursday, vendors begin setting up their booths and wares at the Civic Center. Opening ceremonies and the Alien Market trade show begin at noon; the Fourth of July activities at Cielo Grande, and a night golf tournament close out the day. Friday are the all-day vendors’ market and Alien Market , UFO lectures, and an electric light UFO parade; and a UFO/Alien Masquerade Ball ends the day. Saturday begins at 6 a.m. with a Dawn Patrol for model aircraft flyers and the Alien Chase 5K and 10K run. Vendors and Alien Market all day, an Alien Costume Contest, a UFO lecture; and a live entertainment concert ends the day. Sunday, vendors and Alien Market all day, plus live entertainment. The Roswell Spacewalk is an added attraction, taking you on a trip through time and space, beginning 1947.

Invited guests and entertainers include: music by Chris Daniels & the Kings; native American flute music by Douglas Bluefeather; and — in recognition of the 20th anniversary of E.T. the Extra Terrestrial — actress Dee Wallace Stone who was in that movie and other productions.

This is a brief overview of what Roswell’s UFO Festival commemorates:

Hundreds of UFO sightings were reported all over the U.S. in late June, 1947. Mac Brazel, a rancher near Corona, perhaps 90 miles northwest of Roswell, claimed that he heard something sounding like a terrible crash on the night of July 2, 1947. The next day, as he rode over his pasture with a neighbor boy, he found something unusual had crash-landed in his pasture. He said the debris he found scattered over a large area was unlike anything he had ever before seen. He said it was thin, lightweight, flexible, but it couldn’t be burned, torn or cut; many other witnesses who saw or handled some of the material described it the same way.

Brazel traveled the considerable distance (for that time, which was post-World War II when means of transportation was scarce and expensive) from the ranch to Roswell on Sunday, July 6, taking some of the material with him. His first stop was at the Sheriff’s office. The sheriff suggested he call the Roswell Army Air Field located south of Roswell. A popular local reporter and radio announcer happened to call the sheriff’s office looking for news and the sheriff handed the phone to Brazel.

RAAF officers traveled with Brazel to his ranch. On July 8, with orders from Washington DC, the RAAF public information officer, Walter Haut, announced the crash of a UFO to all of the local media and the world-at-large. Soon after, the Army and the U.S. government announced that the debris was nothing more than a weather balloon.

UFO historians later learned that another UFO crash site was found by archeology students on July 3 on the Plains of St. Augustin, near Magdalena. That one reportedly had a more intact space vehicle and also alien bodies.

Glenn Dennis, then a Roswell mortician, received a call from the RAAF asking about child-size coffins and how to preserve bodies. When he went to the RAAF hospital to deliver the small caskets, he met a visibly shaken nurse he knew who told him she had witnessed an alien autopsy. Except for a few whispered confidences, the incident became a guarded secret for more than 40 years.

Kevin Randle and Donald Schmitt investigated the story and interviewed hundreds of people. Their book, UFO Crash at Roswell was published in 1991 and the story was no longer a secret. Since, many books, movies and made-for-TV specials have publicized the incident world-wide. With the publicity has come word of additional sites and related incidents during that period of time in the area of Roswell and southeastern New Mexico. Hundreds of people are still available, including Roswell residents Walter Haut and Glenn Dennis, who were directly involved with Roswell’s UFO incident of 1947. Haut, Dennis and their friend and local realtor, J. Max Littell, founded the International UFO Museum and Research Center. By the summer of 2001, one million people had visited it.

Is the story true or false? You decide. Regardless, the publicity had brought world recognition to Roswell, New Mexico.

Billy the Kid Outlaw Gang (BTKOG) will have their annual campout July 11 through July 14 at Campsite #2, in the Cedar Creek Campgrounds, which was recently renamed the Sam Tobias Memorial Group Area. It was renamed for Sam Tobias, air tactical group supervisor, who lost his life in an aircraft accident relating to the New Mexico wildfires on May 15, 2000.

Billy the Kid Outlaw Gang, Inc., in association with the New Mexico Historical Society, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving, protecting and promoting the factual history of Billy the Kid Bonney and Pat Garrett in New Mexico. The Gang’s current headquarters is in Capitan. BTKOG is supported by memberships and donations. BTKOG invites visitors to come to Billy the Kid – Pat Garrett country in New Mexico and learn more about them. Their website lists books to learn more about them and the American Southwest.

Anyone interesting in knowing more about membership in this Gang or the cook-out may Email editor@roswellwabmag.com or visit the official BTKOG website: www.nmia.com/btkog

The annual membership fees are: $20 for single memberships, $$30 for couples or family membership, and $35 for foreign family memberships. The Gang pays the camping fee, but will charge $5 for each car that comes to the campsite with members and guests to “partake” of the food. The Gang provides members a free cowboy breakfast at 8:30 a.m. Saturday, July 13. In lieu of the usual Stinking Springs Stew Contest (due to extreme fire danger), BTKOG will sell hotdogs, hamburgers and nachos. Supper, following the Bob Barron Annual Debate, will be potluck. Each member and guest is to provide a food item. All the other meals at the campout are up to the individual Gangsters who attend. Campers may eat in camp with the other Gangsters or down the road a mile in Ruidoso. Keep track of fire restrictions and come prepared to eat meals not prepared over campfires.