– Heitkamp honors fallen North Dakota Viet Nam soldiers

Sen. Hedi Heitkamp (D) North Dakota

WASHINGTON, D.C. (CSi) – Strengthening her commitment to honor the nearly 200 North Dakotans who gave their lives defending their state and country during the Vietnam War, U.S. Senator Heidi Heitkamp again took to the Senate floor Monday to honor the memory and share the stories of these selfless, fallen service members.

“Part of what makes North Dakota so special is that nearly everyone in our state has a family member, friend, or loved one who has served in our nation’s military. And when these brave service members don’t return home, we have to make sure we’re giving them the respect and recognition they deserve,” said Heitkamp. “Almost 200 North Dakotans didn’t make it back home from the Vietnam War, which left a lasting impact on hundreds more in communities across our state. By coming to the Senate floor and speaking about the lives of these fallen heroes, I hope we’re able to have an ever greater appreciation for their incredible sacrifices as we pay tribute to these lost service members.”

During her speech Monday, Heitkamp honored the following North Dakotans who were lost in the Vietnam War:

James Freidt – Grand Forks
Robert “Bobby” Schmitz – Martin
Loren “Doug” Hagen – Fargo
Michael Himmerick – Valley City
Larry Sikorski – Fairmount
Richard “Jimmy” Gaffaney, Jr. – Fargo
Richard Volk – Minot
Roger Svir – Park River
Willis Weber – Valley City
Edward Alec Werman – Hensel
Steve Escallier – Enlisted in Portal
Steven Hanson – Aneta
Leon Cox – Jamestown
Gunder Gunderson – Walhalla
Roy Wagner – Bismarck

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 50^th 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.

To view Heitkamp’s new webpage dedicated to honoring North Dakota’s KIA and MIA Vietnam servicemembers – including her speeches on the Senate floor – click here. The website will be updated with all of Heitkamp’s speeches on the Senate floor about these servicemembers. A copy of a poster recognizing these fallen men can also be found here.