Ceremony conducted for those who lost lives in Vietnam

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GREENFIELD — They huddled together against the cold.

As traffic whizzed by on State Street, passersby clapped and honked in support, but the ceremony remained solemn.

They stood, paying homage to three men who died long before they should have, killed in war while serving their country.

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This month, veterans and citizens gathered twice to remember three of the county’s Vietnam casualties, who took their final breaths 50 years ago this month.

They’ll come together several more times in the next few years to honor the other county servicemen who died in the war, which ended in 1975.

Frank Marks, Elvin Gose and Michael Ebert were killed in action in Vietnam in March 1968.

The local American Legion post and several other veterans organizations have teamed up to host the services at the Hancock County Vietnam Veterans Memorial, where each casualty’s name is listed, along State Road 9 near Davis Road.

Wednesday evening marked the fourth of those ceremonies and was called for Gose and Ebert. Franks’ ceremony was conducted March 9.

The ceremonies are short but meaningful, American Legion post commander Kurt Vetters has said. Planned by the veterans community, the ceremonies are conducted to honor the sacrifices Hancock County’s causalities made during a controversial war.

More than 58,000 men and women were killed in battle between February 1961, when the United States’ military involvement in the war began, and May 1975, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Among them were 12 Hancock County natives, according to American Legion officials.

As the 50th anniversary of each of their deaths passes, Hancock County will stop to remember them, holding memorial services for each to honor what they gave to protect their loved ones back home, Vetters said.

“It’s important we remember these men who sacrificed everything for us,” Vetters said.

Ebert’s family and his former classmates gathered for Wednesday’s ceremony. Though Gose’s loved ones couldn’t make the event, he still had family there, Vetters said.

That day, the veterans and others gathered were his family, he said.

Ebert’s family brought his gun-cleaning kit, setting up a small table to memorialize him not far from where a stone etched with his name stands.

They carried a poem, too. One written by a family member following his death.

“Our Mike was but a growing boy. He loved, he laughed, he cried. For like a boy, he lived his life, but, like a man he died,” it reads …

Larry Caudill, Ebert’s classmate, was home from Vietnam on leave when he learned of his friend’s death. They met around seventh grade and wrestled together throughout high school.

Ebert didn’t know an enemy, Caudill said. He was a class act.

“I can’t think of a person I know in my life who was a better person, a better man,” he said.

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Frank Marks

Lance Cpl. Frank Marks was Fortville’s first Vietnam casualty.

Marks was 20 when he was killed in action March 6, 1968, as he served in the Marine Corps, according to Daily Reporter archives.

The son of Mr. and Mrs. George F. Marks, his death was reported to the community March 12, 1968.

He joined the Marine Corps after graduating from Mt. Vernon High School.

He was killed after stepping on a enemy land mine during his second tour in Vietnam, the Daily Reporter reported at the time.

Michael Ebert

In February 1967, the Daily Reporter noted that Michael Ebert, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Dean D. Ebert, had successfully completed the airborne course given at Fort Benning, Georgia, to become a paratrooper. He received his wings after making his fifth parachute jump.

He was awarded the Army Commendation medal for meritorious service while serving in Vietnam in early 1968.

Weeks later, he he died of gunshot wounds in Vietnam. He was 20 years old.

Elvin Gose

A graduate of Mt. Vernon High School, Elvin Gose, a marine, was 19 years old when he was killed in South Vietnam.

The son of Mr. and Mrs. William Gose of Cumberland, he was assigned to the E Company, 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines.

He enlisted in the Marines in 1967 and had been serving in Vietnam for about four months at the time of his death.

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Eleven Hancock County men died during the Vietnam War, and one is listed as missing in action. They were:

  • John Modglin on July 18, 1967
  • Rodger Haste on December 22, 1967
  • Frank W. Marks on March 9, 1968
  • Elvin Gose on March 18, 1968
  • Michael Ebert on March 21, 1968
  • Vaughn Brown on July 1, 1968
  • William Brees Jr. on Feb. 10, 1969
  • Huger Phelps on Feb. 10, 1969
  • Michael Terry on Oct. 12, 1969
  • Norris Borgman on Jan. 6, 1970
  • Mark Draper on July 22, 1970
  • Robert Harlan II, missing in action on Oct. 25, 1965

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