Duplin to unveil granite marker memorial Friday
By Kenneth Fine
Published in News on May 18, 2009 1:46 PM
KENANSVILLE -- Nineteen sons of Duplin County were lost in Vietnam, but until last year, their stories mostly had been heard only by battlefield comrades and the grieving family members left behind.
A November ceremony at Duplin Commons attended by more than 300 friends and neighbors changed that for a few hours.
And Friday, thanks to the efforts of the local Historical Society and its president, Charles Ingram, the names of those young men will be forever tied to the county.
A granite monument honoring their sacrifices is scheduled to be unveiled and dedicated on the south grounds of the Duplin County Court House on Friday.
The ceremony, which is open to the public, is set for 11 a.m.
Family members of those who lost their lives are expected to be on hand, as is the event's keynote speaker, Patetown native and former Congressman Martin Lancaster.
Lancaster, a Vietnam-era veteran who was confirmed as Assistant Secretary of the Army by the U. S. Senate in 1996, also served as president of the North Carolina Community College System.
After he speaks, the granite memorial -- which was paid for via donations from members of the community and will contain the name of each man, as well as his home town, rank and branch of service, and dates of birth and death -- will be unveiled.
Those sons of Duplin lost in Vietnam include:
* Herbert John Artis
* Dennis Earl Basden
* Arthur Best
* Allen Lewis Boney
* Robert Allen Brown
* Charles Grey Costin
* Paul Edwin Gore
* Joseph Nelson Hargrove
* Lane Kornegay Hargrove
* Alex Ray Houston
* Litchfield Patterson Huie
* Jamie Jay Lanier
* Orland Thomas Lloyd
* Terry Kay Maready
* Dallas Ervin McKinney
* Clarence Leon "Boone" McNeill
* Lawrence Edward Philyaw
* George Patrick "Pat" Power
* William Irvin "Guy" Turner Jr.