Tama County servicemen who lost their lives in the Vietnam War include (clockwise from top left) Sgt. John Gaylord Kopriva – Cpt. Norbert Albert Podhajsky – CE3 Larry Albert Dahms – Pfc. Stephen Craig Hass – Pfc. Dale Earl Benson – Sgt. Richard Clive Youngbear – Pfc. Gary Ladd Squiers – Pfc. Terry Roberts – Sp5 Charles William Cook – Cpl. William Jay Balfour. No profile photo was available for Pfc. Gerald Carl Kinny.

Editor’s Note: This is the sixth and seventh stories in a series of nine first published by the Times-Republican newspaper honoring the 32 men from Grundy, Hardin, Marshall and Tama counties who perished during the Vietnam War including one man considered as missing-in-action. From Nov. 1, 1955 to April 30, 1975, the conflict raged in Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam. Nearly 3 million servicemen and women served in the Southeast Asia theater – of which 115,000 Iowans served in Vietnam. The war claimed the lives of 58,220 Americans including 868 Iowans. There were an estimated 250,000 South Vietnamese troops killed, according to military sources. As a tribute, the newspaper is listing at a minimum the rank, full name, branch of service, hometown and, if available, date of birth, death, age and burial location of those who perished. The information was obtained courtesy of the Central Iowa Vietnam Veterans Involvement Committee archives, findagrave.com and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund’s “Wall of Faces.” Dan Gannon, a Vietnam combat veteran, provided the Iowa Vietnam War Memorial Directory of Names. Kennan Seda, historian of the Sons of the American Legion Post 73 in Tama, provided biographical details. Additional information was submitted by family and friends. This installment features fallen veterans from Tama County.

Sgt. John Gaylord Kopriva

Nov. 27, 1948-June 22, 1969; age 20 – Army – Traer

Burial: St. Paul’s Cemetery, Traer

Kopriva was on a search-and-destroy mission deep in enemy territory. He and other members of his unit were mistaken as enemy combatants and fired upon by friendly forces from a helicopter. He was wounded and evacuated to a hospital where he died from his wounds, according to information on the VVMFs “Wall of Faces.”

Cpt. Norbert Albert Podhajsky

Aug. 16, 1943-Nov. 29, 1970; age 27 – USAF – Toledo

Burial: Holy Trinity Cemetery, Vining

Podhajsky was a crew member of an aircraft which crashed into a mountainside in South Vietnam. Visibility was poor. Thirty U.S. military plus 10 South Vietnamese troops were killed.

“The American Legion Post No.73 in Tama inserted a tribute video for him. A Roman Catholic Mass was held to mark the 50th anniversary of the crash that ended his life at St. Patrick’s Church in Tama,” wrote Seda. “I have had some contact with his widow who has since remarried. He was departing Vietnam when it occurred. His wife was in Hawaii awaiting his arrival so they could have a vacation. So sad.”

CE3 Larry Albert Dahms

June 6, 1947-Nov. 17, 1970; age 23 – Navy – Garwin

Burial: Rose Hill Memorial Gardens Cemetery and Park, Marshalltown

Dahms attended ISU before entering the service. He is remembered in the school’s Gold Star Hall. Dahms was attempting to repair an antenna and had attached his safety harness to the base. It gave way. He fell and was fatally injured.

“I knew Larry pretty well,” wrote Dan Smith of his unit. “He was a lineman. We lived in the same hut and worked together for about two months before his fall. He was great friends with all of the group we worked with and was a wonderful young man. Iowa and his family can be proud.”

Pfc. Stephen Craig Hass

Oct. 16, 1947-June 21, 1967; age 19 – Army – Gladbrook

Burial: Maple Hill Cemetery, Gladbrook

“It was emotional going through all of his things,” wrote his niece, Stephanie Bowers, Times-Republican copy editor. “He was such an amazing guy. He loved playing his guitar and the card game pepper. My mother – Stephen’s youngest sibling – was 11 years old when Stephen was killed and said she will never forget the day they learned of his death. The family was eating dinner and saw two servicemen walk past the window up to the door. My grandfather went outside and collapsed and then my grandmother collapsed.”

His sister, Deb Lang, wrote on the Wall of Faces website: “I still miss you. I framed the hand print you gave me for my birthday when you were in Vietnam … love you big brother.”

Cpl. William Jay Balfour

April 7, 1945-Sept. 21, 1967; age 22 – USMC – Toledo

Burial: Crystal Township Cemetery, Garwin

“Balfour was remembered by a neighbor as a tall and handsome man,” according to Seda.

Pfc. Dale Earl Benson

March 19, 1947-Jan. 15, 1967; age 19 – Army – Tama

Burial: Oak Hill Cemetery, Tama

Benson attended Iowa State University (ISU), Ames, before entering the service. He is remembered in the school’s Gold Star Hall. “He was in my unit, but I did not know him well. And then he died. A true hero,” wrote Vic Miller on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund’s Wall of Faces website.

Sp5 Charles William Cook

July 6, 1951-June 28, 1971; age 19 – Army – Tama

Burial: IOOF Cemetery, Indianola

“As a member of the 27th Chemical Detachment, I pulled guard duty with ‘Cook’ once a week. What a loss of a great man,” wrote Donald Shaffer on the Wall of Faces website.

Pfc. Gerald Carl Kinny

April 30, 1949-Jan. 31, 1968; age 19 – USMC – Toledo

Burial: Mount Calvary Cemetery, Dubuque

“Gerald was my big brother,” wrote his sister Cindy Humphrey on the VVMFs “Wall of Faces” website. He was killed-in-action on the first day of the Tet Offensive in an ambush in Hue City. His unit entered Hue not knowing the night before several regiments of the North Vietnamese Army had captured the city. He was a machine gunner and was last seen setting up his machine gun to ‘take out’ the enemy shooter positioned on a gate tower. The squad leader and corpsman were killed and several laid in the street wounded. Gerald was found on the sidewalk. He had run back down the one-half block to meet up with the others being retrieved by members of his unit. He made it within a few yards of safety before he was fatally shot.”

*No profile photo available.

Pfc. Terry Roberts

Jan. 2, 1949-Dec. 20, 1967; age 18 – USMC – Tama

Burial: Meskwaki Cemetery, Tama

“Terry was in my squad and a good Marine,” wrote Cpl. Robert Meadows in the VVMF ‘Wall of Faces’ website. “We had just taken a village. Terry was standing near me when he was hit by a sniper and died instantly. We hit the deck. The sniper also killed another Marine. We never saw the sniper.”

Pfc. Gary Ladd Squiers

July 26, 1949-Jan. 28, 1969; age 20 – USMC – Toledo

Burial: Haven Cemetery, Richland Township, Tama County

“A few years ago, we were contacted by Manuel (no last name provided), Gary’s fire team leader, on specific details about Gary’s death,” wrote Squiers’ sister Lorell Squiers of Des Moines. “Manuel had led his team on a scouting mission. As they came to a small clearing, they were attacked by the Viet Cong with little cover. One of the men was wounded, and Manuel was able to get him to a helicopter. When Manuel got back to the clearing, he saw one of his men was pinned down and could not retreat without being killed, so Manuel tried to reach him, but was then wounded himself. He did not want anyone to come after him, because he was afraid they would be killed. He tried to tell the men to stay where they were. Then Manuel heard Gary say, ‘I can get him.’ He heard Gary moving in the brush and then a shot and assumed Gary had been hit. Eventually, the men were able to retreat and get to the helicopter for evacuation. Manuel was right next to Gary. I asked if Gary was still alive at that point, and Manuel said ‘no, he died from that one shot… Manuel was near tears when he told me Gary was his hero for trying to save him.”

Sgt. Richard Clive Youngbear

Aug. 10, 1939-Feb. 3, 1966; age 26 – Army – Tama

Burial: Meskwaki Cemetery, Tama

Youngbear was awarded the prestigious Silver Star for conspicuous gallantry. He was Tama County’s first casualty in the Vietnam War.