Bits of South Jersey - Gloucester County`s Sacrifice

Twenty-six years ago the last American to loose his life through the Vietnam War died- the killing was over. As a nation we were ecstatic, but there were no parades, no celebrations, no recognition of the brave men and women that lost their lives, it just quietly was put to rest along side the 58,220 that never came home. Decades later, through the determination of many people not to let those lives be forgotten, war memorials were built to finally honor the sacrifice that was made. Recently, a South Jersey man from Glassboro, published a book about the men lost to that war that were from Gloucester County. The book, “They Were Ours” Gloucester County`s Loss In Vietnam, by John Campbell, is an inspiring look into each of the 42 lives cut short. My reason for buying this book was probably selfish, I had a connection to three of the young men memorialized and I wanted to see them honored. After reading through the lives of other 39, I feel that I knew them too.

War is never kind, it never gives but always takes, it divides and destroys, it dehumanizes life into a rubble of waste. Through the centuries, our nation, our state, our county, has given the ultimate sacrifice. Our soldiers rode on horseback, rode in tanks, and flew above the clouds. They walked through neighborhoods called Woodbury, Princeton, Philadelphia, Berlin, Da Nang, and Chu Chi. For whatever reason the cause was, for whatever reason they answered the call, they marched through battlefields together and they deserve our praise and honor.

Augustus J. Ponto, III, Kenneth Mokuau, Jr. and Angelo Giacobbe were my friends. I remember the last time I saw each one of them. Augustus, ( we called him Gussie), was home on leave before heading for Vietnam. He stopped by the house and I can still see him grinning from ear to ear. He was always joking, always making you laugh and always flirting. When I read about Kenny it brought back my memory of our last time together. Kenny`s family told about his love for motorcycles, how true, the last time I saw Kenny he took me for a ride on his cycle. He was very proud of that bike... Angelo could usually be found with his twin brother Paul. The last time I saw Angelo, the two had given some friends and me a lift to Blackwood. Angelo was incredibly handsome and all the girls wanted front seat and center.

They were young, like most of the men that served. Kenny and Angelo were not even old enough to buy a bottle of beer. I recall how quickly the draft took boys away fresh out of high school. Some of them were graduating high school in June and getting drafted in August. There was no time for learning a trade or starting a career. Your trade was found in the Army. Some got away, they got into college and got deferments, some got married and had children, some just burned their draft cards and left the country. Others protested our involvement in Vietnam from far away lands. It was a time of upheaval and confusion. You were either on one side or the other but whatever side you were on, the reality of war still hit home. The news media brought it into our living rooms everyday. We became familiar with places that we had never heard of before the war, we listened carefully every night to the casualty lists, we prayed for an end and for the safety of our troops. We did what every American has done from the first war that this country has seen, we agonized over our loss and hoped for victory.

Gloucester County sent many brave men to Vietnam, most of them returned home, 42 came home to rest.

To John Campbell, thank you for this book-it was long overdue.

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Author: Vickie Van Antwerp