Pierceton High School - Echoes Yearbook (Pierceton, IN)

Page 31 text:

Pierceton Soldier,20, War Victim Mr. and Mrs. Newton Wallen, of Pierceton, were informed by military personnel Thursday of the death of their son, Pfc. Ernie L. Wallen, 20, near Da Nang, Vietnam. A gunner, he died in battle on Aug. 30 at 10 a.m. Pfc. Wallan, a member of Co. C, Second Battalion, 22nd In- fantry, 25th Infantry Division, entered the service on Feb. 4, 1969, and left Fort Lewis, Wash., July 4 for Vietnam. The last letter from their son to his parents, received Sept. 3, informed them he was going into the “field.” Mrs. Wallen said that another son, Pfc. Woodroe Wallen, with the U.S. Army at Fort Lee, Va., was home last weekend and said he planned to request duty in Vietnam and ask the Army to send his brother home. 1967 GRADUATE Pfc. Wallen was born in Wayland, Ky., on Dec. 17, 1948. The family moved from Warsaw to Pierceton in 1957. He was employed at Gatke Corp. before entering the service. He attend- ed the First Baptist Church in Pierceton and was a 1967 grad- uate of Pierceton High School. Surviving besides the parents are three brothers, Jack, of Muskegon, Mich.; Woodrow, with the U.S. Army at Fort Lee, Va., and William, of Wakarusa; eight sisters, Mrs. Lloyd (Bar- bara) Miller, of Phoenix, Ariz. ; Mrs. Joe (Deloris) Rose, of Claypool; Mrs. Clifford (Josephine) Clevenger, of Wi- nona Lake, and Donna, Laura, Betty June, Braska Kay, and Tammy Lynn, at home; pater- nal grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. William Wallen, of Dwale, Ky., and maternal grandfather, Ollie Hall, of Pierceton. Funeral arrangements are pending at the Wyman Funeral Home in Pierceton.

Page 30 text:

Ernie Lee Wallen Killed In Action In Viet Nam Mr. and Mrs. Newton Wallen of Pierceton were first inform- ed of the death of their son, 20- year-old Private First Class Er- nie Lee Wallen, at 20 minutes after 8 a.m. Thursday by two army officers from Fort Wayne who appeared at the Wallen home. Staff Sergeant Elmer Gar- ner and a sergeant Anderson told the Wallens of the death of their son at 10 a.m. August 30, near Da Nang, Viet Nam, dur- ing action. The officers told the couple more information would be forth-coming. They offered to inform another son of the couple, Woodrow Wallen, in the service at Fort Lee, Va., of the tragedy. Pfc. Ernie Lee Wallen had last talked to his parents by phone and other members of the family July 3, this year. They received a letter from him Sat- urday, August 30, which he had written eight days earlier telling them not to worry about him. He also wrote his brother on August 29, (the day before his death), ' which Woodrow did not receive until after army officers had told him of his brother’s death at 4:30 p.m. Thursday. He received it in the regular mail-call that evening. The young Pierceton soldier was a machine gunner on an APC (All Personnel Carrier) at the time of his death. He was drafted into the army February 4, 1969, took his basic training at Fort Knox. He was home on a 14-day leave in June and left Fort Lewis Wash., for Viet Nam July 4. He attempted to enlist in the air force- before being drafted into the army, his par- ents said. Prior to his leave in June, Mr. and Mrs. Wallen had seen their son Ernie for only 20 minutes April 11, when they attended the graduation of the other son, Woodrow, who entered the serv- ice January 7, this year. Both brothers trained for basic at Fort Knox for three weeks. Woodrow arrived home for a 30- day-leave at 7:30 a.m. Friday, flying to Chicago, bus to South Bend and being picked up by friends in South Bend and re- turned to his home. Mr. and Mrs. Wallen although still grief stricken Friday after- noon, expressed appreciation at the consideration of army offi- cers who called on them. They said another army officer, Lieu- tenant James Virest, asked (and was accepted) if he could at- tend the funeral, although not as an escort. Receive Telegram The telegram from the United States army to Mr. and Mrs. Newton Wallen of Pierceton in- forming them of the death of their son was received at 5 p.m. Thursday, September 4, a little more than eight hours after the two officers from Fort Wayne had made the verbal announce- ment. The telegram read as follows: ‘The secretary of the army has asked me to express his deepest regret that on August 30 your son, Ernie Lee Wallen, was kill- ed in action in Viet Nam. He was on combat operation when supporting artillery fire, direct- ed at hostile forces, landed in the area.’ “Kenneth Wickham, Major Gen- eral, USA Fll, Adjutant Gen- eral, Department of the Army, Washington, D. C.” The Wallens were informed there would be another telegram to follow. It arrived about 3:15 p.m., Friday. This telegram of three page length told of the technical arrangements concern- ing the shipment of the body and the arrival time in Pierceton of 10 to 14 days. OBITUARY Private first class Ernie Lee Wallen of Pierceton, 20, died at 10 a.m., August 30, in Viet Nam, while in action with the United States army. He was born December 17, 1948, at Wayland, Ky., to New- ton and Betty (Hall) Wallen. He moved here with his parents in 1957 from Warsaw. He was employed at the Gatke corporation in Warsaw before entering the service in February of 1969. He attended the First Baptist church of Pierceton and was a 1967 graduate of Pierce- ton high school. He is survived by his parents and the brother, Woodrow, men- tioned above; two other brothers Jack, of Muskegon, Mich., and ' William of Wakarusa; eight sis- ters, Mrs. Lloyd (Barbara) Mil- ler of Phoenix, Ariz., Mrs. Joe (Deloris) Rose of Claypool, Mrs. Clifford (Josephine) Clevenger of Winona Lake and Donna, Bet- ty June, Laura, Braska Kay and Tammi Lynn, all at home, and paternal grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. William Wallen of Dwale, Ky., and a maternal grand- father, Ollie Hall, of Pierceton. Funeral arrangements are ! pending in the Wyman funeral j home of Pierceton, awaiting no- tification of the arrival of the | body. Rev. Reuben Rose of Sid- ney will officiate and burial will be in the Hillcrest cemetery at Pierceton.

Page 32 text:

Pierceton Soldier,20, War Victim Mr. and Mr . Newton Wallen, of Pierceton, were informed by military personnel Thursday of the death of their son, Pfc. Ernie L. Wallen, 20, near Da Nang, Vietnam. A gunner, he died in battle on Aug. 30 at 10 a.m. Pfc. Wallan. a member of Co. C, Second Battalion, 22nd In- fantry, 25th Infantry Division, entered the service on Feb. 4, 1969, and left Fort Lewis, Wash., July 4 for Vietnam. The last letter from their son to his parents, received Sept. 3, informed them he was going into the “field. Mrs. Wallen said that another son, Pfc. Woodroe Wallen, with the U.S. Army at Fort Lee, Va., was home last weekend and said he planned to request duty in Vietnam and ask the Army to send his brother 1967 GRADUATE Pfc. Wallen was born in Wayland, Ky., on Dec. 17, 1948. The family moved from Warsaw to Pierceton in 1957. He was employed at Gatke Corp. before entering the service. He attend- ed the First Baptist Church in Pierceton and was a 1967 grad- uate of Pierceton High School. Surviving besides the parents are three brothers, Jack, of Muskegon. Mich.; Woodrow, with the U.S. Army at Fort Lee, Va., and William, of Wakarusa; eight sisters, Mrs. Lloyd (Bar- bara) Miller, of Phoenix, Ariz.; Mrs. Joe (Deloris) Rose, of Claypool; Mrs. Clifford (Josephine) Clevenger, of Wi- nona Lake, and Donna, Laura, Betty June, Braska Kay, and Tammy Lynn, at home; pater- nal grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. William Wallen, of Dwale, Ky., and maternal grandfather, Ollie Hall, of Pierceton. Funeral arrangements are pending at die Wyman Funeral Home in Pierceton. WJL Private First Class, U. S. Army National Colors at The Times Building and transmitter site of Radio Stations WRSW AM-FM were lowered to half staff today in honor of Pfc. Ernie Lee Wallen, 20, son of Mr. and Mrs. Newton Wallen, of Pierceton. C Company, Second Battalion 22nd Infantry, 25th Inf. Division This Pierceton young man lost his life in the defense of his coun- try while serving as a machine gunner in Vietnam. This dedicated soldier was killed in a battle near Da Nang on Aug. 30. He had been in Vietnam since last July.