The Gridley Museum is featuring photos and bios of local veterans that served in the Vietnam War this Memorial Day weekend. 

GRIDLEY, CA (MPG) – The last few years, the windows of the Gridley Museum have been graced with a solemn, yet interesting display featuring local veterans.

In honor of upcoming Memorial Day, the museum has put up photos and informative excerpts featuring details of the selected Vietnam veterans, some of which have passed and others which are still active in our community.

Among the photos and biographies of the veterans featured, a written statement entitled “A Typical Man in Vietnam” is posted, detailing what a majority of Vietnam soldiers were – usually unmarried and fresh from high-school.

An excerpt reads, “He never cared for work, preferred waxing his own car to washing his dad’s, but he is now working for fighting from dawn to dark, often longer. He still has trouble spelling and writing letter home is a painful process. But he can break down his rifle in 30 seconds and put it back together in 29. He can describe a nomenclature of a fragmentation grenade; explain how a machine gun works and use either if the need arises.”

Pictures of Vietnam veterans and their stories are available for viewing at the Museum. 

The three local vets recognized might not fit this description perfectly, but they represent the variety of backgrounds that the Vietnam veterans came from.

Ronald Scheyer, U.S. Navy E-8 Chief Petty Officer enlisted in the Navy just before receiving his draft letter. He would be stationed on the USS Cimarron and later the USS Ponchatoula. His story is one of dedicated service.

Local Roger Van De Hey would receive a draft left in 1966. Leaving his hometown in Michigan, Van De Hey would serve four years in the Air Force overseas.

Ronald Ray Wadsworth would serve in the U.S. Army for three years, F. Tyrone Shaeffer – Specialist 5th Class, would be inducted to the U.S. Army in 1967, and Michael Dahl would be drafted out of Law School in 1965. Dahl would serve as an SGT e-% in the U.S. Army.

Also recognized are Lance CPL. Daneil Lee Prock – Marines, Lande CPL Stephen E. Bayles – Marines, CPL -E4 James D. Wilson, and Infantryman Dennis A. Smith – Army.

The heartbreaking story of Gridley’s Larry Hart Patterson is shared.

The three-sport athlete was a star quarterback, a starter on the basketball team and a second baseman on the baseball team. He also served as GHS Class of ‘67 president. He was drafted and had serve in Vietnam for three weeks when he was killed by a mortar blast.

Whether alive, passed, still serving, or retired, our Veterans deserve recognition for the sacrifice they made for our country.

The display will be up over the Memorial Day weekend and can be seen at the Gridley Museum, located at 601 Kentucky St.