Pikeville man honors missing Vietnam veterans
By Joey Pitchford
Published in News on September 18, 2016 12:19 AM
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News-Argus/SETH COMBS
Dennis Lewis shows an artist's rendering of a monument he hopes to help create to remember those military personnel who are still among the missing from the Vietnam War.
PIKEVILLE -- To his friends, Pikeville resident Dennis Lewis is known as a patriot. On Saturday he put that patriotism on full display, as he and several volunteers placed 41 crosses next to his home to honor the 41 North Carolina Vietnam veterans still considered missing in action, three of whom came from Wayne County.
Lewis erected the crosses at around 9 a.m. Saturday, each adorned by a yellow ribbon and flanked by American flags. He has been observing POW/MIA Recognition Day, which falls on the third Friday of each September, on a personal level since 2002.
"It's something that's special to me," he said. "The crosses represent a man who sacrificed his tomorrow for my today."
Lewis himself did not serve in the military, but has a deep respect for those who did.
"The crosses mean that a man better than me died for me," he said, tears coming to his eyes. "How do you repay that debt?"
Lewis' close friend Gail Hargrove, who lives in Mar Mac, is the widow of Joseph Nelson Hargrove, one of the last men to be declared missing in action in Vietnam. She has worked with Lewis on a number of other projects, such as an air balloon release ceremony, to honor prisoners of war.
Mrs. Hargrove said that Lewis' dedication to honoring the military is unique, especially among non-veterans.
"For Dennis to not be a military man, he's one of our greatest patriots," she said. "Veterans have a great friend in him."
Lewis said that his friendship with Mrs. Hargrove was part of what lead him to dedicate his time to honoring prisoners of war and missing in action.
"For a lot of people, it's over," he said. "It's not over for her, for the friends and families. It'll never be over until she dies and joins her husband in heaven."
At 11 p.m., the roughly 20 people gathered for the event took seats as the Eastern Wayne color guard presented the colors. Afterward, retired Army Col. and Goldsboro City Councilman David Ham spoke about his relationship with Lewis, and said that anyone who chooses to sit or kneel during the national anthem should see what Lewis had created.
Lewis then got up to speak about the two initiatives he is fundraising for -- a $12,500 monument honoring prisoners of war and missing in action and three annual scholarships to Wayne Community College totaling $75,000.
"All that would take is 750 people in this county of 111,000 taking out a $100 bill and saying 'I want these men to be remembered," Lewis said.
He said that the two projects would help people to remember those who sacrificed their lives in the military, the same as the crosses in his yard.
"Maybe when people see it they'll remember the sacrifice made for them," he said. "Maybe they'll stop and honor these men like I do."