Photo By Damien Salas | Veterans and their families stand at attention Nov. 11, 2014, as members of the United...... read more read more
JOINT BASE MYER-HENDERSON HALL, Va. - Veterans and service members alongside their friends and families gathered Nov. 11, at the Capt. Rocky Versace Plaza and Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Alexandria, Va., for a ceremony to commemorate the lives of 44 Soldiers, 15 Marines, five Airmen and three Sailors from northern Virginia lost while serving in the Vietnam War.
Guest speaker, Brig. Gen. John W. Nicholson Sr., told stories of Versace – a Soldier turned priest – who withstood nearly two years of physical and moral torture after being captured by Viet Cong forces in 1963.
“They couldn’t break him,” said Nicholson. “And they couldn’t bend him either. When I had the opportunity to attempt to rescue [Versace], I met people whose lives were influenced by his presence, even as a prisoner.”
Nicholson and Versace crossed paths several times during their careers. Both served as officers with the 3d U.S Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard) at Fort Myer before they were assigned to the same military advisory unit in South Vietnam, where Versace quickly gained recognition for his off-duty humanitarian efforts, especially projects benefitting Vietnamese children.
During the war, Nicholson led troops to villages terrorized by the Vietcong to aid untrained locals in the fight against communism, where he found unexpected stories of Versace’s efforts.
In one village, Nicholson recalls an elderly woman squatting down next to him, and with tears streaming down her face, “told a story of [Versace], using the word ‘prophet’ to describe him several times,” he said.
“His fluency in the Vietnamese language equipped him with the verbal skills to refute what the communists were trying to instill— fear,” said Nicholson. “And he didn’t hesitate to rebut them. He would say ‘the American’s are here to help us, just like they saved whole countries in Western Europe.’”
With the aid of Vietnamese fighters, Nicholson made three attempts to recover the prisoner of war from a camp where the Viet Cong beat, starved and eventually murdered the Medal of Honor recipient.
Versace’s alma mater, The United States Military Academy, the class of 1959, performed a wreath laying in his honor during the ceremony.
| Date Taken: | 11.13.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 11.13.2014 10:13 |
| Story ID: | 147703 |
| Location: | JOINT BASE MYER-HENDERSON HALL, VIRGINIA, US |
| Hometown: | ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA, US |
| Web Views: | 33 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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