By RICK MILLER
Olean Star
HINSDALE — The Hinsdale Vietnam Veterans Memorial will be unveiled and dedicated on July 13, during Hinsdale Central School’s Alumni Weekend.
Hinsdale Town Historian Stephen Clute and three local Vietnam veterans met Monday night at Hinsdale Community Church to discuss why they thought the Vietnam Veterans Memorial was important.
Clute, who is also president of the Hinsdale Historical Society and the driving force behind the memorial, is not a veteran, although he is a social member of the Hinsdale American Legion.
The Vietnam veterans involved in the discussion of the memorial were from the Marines, Army and Navy. Two were local natives and the third was a longtime resident here via Long Island.
John Tetlak served in Vietnam in two units, the 1st Battalion of the 27th Marines and the 2nd Battalion of the 9th Marines.
Ed Koorse, a former Cattaraugus County fire coordinator and Emergency Services director, served as a mechanic in the Navy where he repaired coastal patrol boats.
Ross Shaffer was a Infantry G.I., who saw a good amount of fighting and survived a helicopter crash.
They all faced death and survived. Many of their friends were not so lucky. The Viet Cong even turned their mortars on Koorse’s coastal repair shops on occasion, which sent everyone scrambling for cover.
The names of three Hinsdale residents who died in Vietnam will be inscribed on the memorial that will stand in the park in front of the Community Church at Main Street and Flannigan Hill Road:
- Bernard Shattuck, a Marine who died Nov. 6, 1967.
- Andy Crawford, a G.I. who died Feb. 7, 1968.
- Michael Clute, a Marine who died Feb. 17, 1969.
Shaffer, who’s medals from Vietnam include the Purple Heart, knew Andy Crawford, with whom he shared a birthday.
Tetlak said he thinks it’s a great idea to have a memorial to Vietnam veterans. “They deserve it.”
There are also 33 names of local veterans who served in Vietnam on the memorial being built by Wright’s Memorial of Bradford, Pa.
Why has it taken so long for a Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Hinsdale? The war has been over for 50 years.
“It was an unpopular war,” Koorse said. He remembers people protesting when soldiers returned from Vietnam. “Everything was pushed under the rug. Let’s forget about it” was the sentiment.
“No one wanted to talk about it” when they came back, said Shaffer.
Then came the first Gulf War. Vietnam veterans noticed the troops came home to parades and patriotism. They were welcomed back not ridiculed. The three Hinsdale veterans noted that these parades welcomed Vietnam veterans to march as well. This has led to more outreach to Vietnam veterans in the intervening years.
“It’s a testimony to those who got drafted or volunteered,” Shaffer said of the memorial. He was drafted soon after he moved off the family farm. “The G.I.’s were expendable,” he said. “There were 500 Americans being killed a week.” He spent part of 1969 in Laos.
Shaffer recalls his mother writing him a letter she saw in the Times Herald about three helicopters being shot down. He replied. “I know Mom. I was on one of them.” They were shot down Sept. 26, 1969.
Shaffer isn’t sure why no local Vietnam Veterans Memorial hasn’t been built in Hinsdale. “ never really thought about it. I never told anyone where I’d been.”
Koorse agreed, adding, “It was a weird feeling. When we came back we were made to feel what we’d done was wrong.” Koorse, who grew up on Long Island, said the war “changed everyone’s lives. No one got a thank you or anything. It wasn’t right. It left a bad taste in my mouth.”
“It really affected people’s minds,” Shaffer said of the war and people’s attitudes toward returning soldiers.
“There still are so many that don’t want to look for help,’ Tetlak added.
Clute, who is no relation to Michael Clute, the Hinsdale Marine who died in 1969, has spearheaded the memorial on behalf of local Vietnam veterans.
About half the cost of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial has already been raised. Now comes the push to the finish. The Hinsdale Historical Society’s Facebook page has details on making donations, or call Clute at (716) 307-7699. There are also two upcoming fundraisers.
A take-out pasta dinner will be held at the Hinsdale Fire Hall May 23 beginning at 4:30 p.m. The cost is $12. For pre-orders call (716) 557-2010.
Also on June 1, a meat raffle and Chinese auction will be held at the Hinsdale American Legion at 7 p.m. to benefit the Vietnam memorial. Free food and beer will be available.
