The traveling wall made a stop in East Texas this week. If you haven’t had a chance to visit The Wall in our nation’s capitol, the traveling version is nearly as impressive, and elicits the same emotions. It’s almost impossible to walk the length and look at all the names without breaking down. Some did. I found myself swallowing hard and blinking a whole lot more than I usually do.
We were an aging generation that came to search for the names of friends and family we lost. A couple were in wheel chairs, others used canes or walkers…most wore caps, shirts or jackets that proudly identified their branch of service. Some were bedecked with colorful ribbons and badges that narrated silent stories of how they had spent and lost their youth. I saw a frail mother on the arm of a family member. She came to find the name of her son who had gone to war and never returned over forty years ago. Yes, it was difficult to control your emotions, but if you couldn’t, no one there thought less of you.
Though there were other names on the wall that I recognized,there were two I knew very well. They were both from my hometown in North Dakota, and one was a neighbor’s son. I found him on panel 02W, line 127.
1LT Byron Kent Kulland was a helicopter pilot whose rescue UH1H, call sign Blueghost 39, was shot down in Quang Tri province on 04/02/72. He was missing in action for years and his family held out hope that he had been captured, but a team searching for remains in 1994 determined that Byron and his crew had been accounted for. He was laid to rest on April 29, 1994 in Arlington Cemetery.
A side note. Blueghost 39’s fateful last mission was to participate in the rescue of the navigator of BAT21. The story was made into a movie of the same name, starring Gene Hackman, but the heroic role of Lt Kulland was not even mentioned. Such is Hollywood, but those of us who knew him will always have him in our hearts and in our thoughts. He was a good kid.
Thanks to Mineola Detachment #1378 of the Marine Corps League for your efforts to bring the display to our area. Semper Fi
2 comments:
Thanks for sharing your experience being there and including the photo. I remember Byron very well. What a great guy he was.
Even the photo brings tears to my eyes, Gary. I didn't lose any of the family or friends who served since World War II, but in a way, each loss now seems like one of our sons or daughters. Maybe it's my age... Thanks for pointing me to this touching post.
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