Continuing her efforts to recognize the North Dakotans who lost their lives in the Vietnam War, U.S. Senator Heidi Heitkamp again took to the Senate floor to help tell their stories and honor the incredible sacrifice each servicemember made to keep North Dakota and the country safe.
"North Dakotans have always stepped up to the plate to serve in our armed forces, as they put their love of country above any self-interests," said Heitkamp. "And while 198 men from communities across our state didn't make it back home from the Vietnam War, their sacrifices were not in vain and their stories will endure. It's difficult to narrow down the facts of each servicemember's life to just a few short minutes but through these speeches I hope we're able to all learn more about how special each one of these North Dakotans was -- and why we must always continue to remember and honor these heroes."
During her speech, Heitkamp honored the following North Dakotans who were lost in the Vietnam War:
Gerald Coulthart -- Hamilton
Stephen Eichelberger -- Fargo
Francis "Ed" Geiger -- Dickinson
Stephen Groth, Jr. -- Enderlin
Melvin Lembke -- Grand Forks
Thomas Narum -- Amidon
Richard Orsund -- Grafton
Ronald "Ronnie" Stoltenow -- Hankinson
George Tongen -- Walhalla
Richard "Dick" Triske -- Fargo
George "Greg" Valker III -- Fargo
Murray Vidler -- Canada (enlisted in Fargo)
Gordon Wenaas -- Mayville
Dan Neuenschwander -- Fessenden
Norman Williams -- Maddock
Heitkamp began a series of speeches in March to honor servicemembers from North Dakota who lost their lives in the Vietnam conflict as our country remembers the 50th anniversary of the war. Heitkamp is collaborating with more than 150 eleventh-graders from Bismarck High School to gather information on these fallen North Dakotans and will incorporate their research into her speeches. Later in March, Heitkamp met with these students in Bismarck and discussed with them the importance of their joint effort to honor the sacrifice and service of the North Dakotans lost in the war.