The Vietnam War ended in 1975 — 50 years ago. United States involvement in Vietnam stretched for 20 years between 1955 and 1975. During that period, three graduates from Philomath High School were killed in action fighting in South Vietnam in three successive years — Paul J. Cochran in 1968, David “Doc” Styles in 1969, and Larry Gassner in 1970.
Before these three men were soldiers, they were Warriors. All three were posthumously awarded the Bronze Star and Purple Heart medals. The names of all three men are on the Vietnam Wall in Washington, D.C., the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Salem and the Benton County Memorial Wall of Honor in Corvallis.
In observance of Memorial Day, Love of Learning will focus on their ultimate sacrifice.
Philomath was considerably smaller in the late ’60s and early ’70s. The census of 1970 lists the population of Philomath at 1,616, which is less than a quarter the size of what it is today (5,801). While we still consider ourselves a “small town,” we have certainly grown substantially in the last 50 years. It is heartbreaking to imagine the devastating impact of losing three hometown boys in three successive years in such a small community…