by Kristina Gabalski
Tom Hetherington holds his copy of the U.S. Navy Cruise Book for the 1967 U.S.S. Hornet Pacific Cruise. The photos show a memorial service held on board the Hornet for the four sailors whose remains were recently buried at Arlington. This Memorial Day will hold special significance for Tom Hetherington of Hamlin.
The Vietnam War veteran served with the U.S. Navy on the aircraft carrier U.S.S. Hornet during the war, and just this month, four of his former shipmates – who were shot down and killed in July of 1967 while trying to locate a downed pilot – were finally laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery.
“I would have done anything to go to the funeral,” he says, but unfortunately did not find out about the interment until after it had taken place.
The remains of the four sailors were buried in a single casket with full military honors at Arlington on May 2, 2013, nearly 46 years after their helicopter was hit by a concealed cannon near North Vietnam’s Ha Nam Province.
The four: Lt. Dennis Peterson, Ensign Donald Frye, and Aviation Anti-Submarine Warfare Technicians William Jackson and Donald McGrane, had been listed as unidentified MIAs. It is believed they were killed instantly in the crash.
In 1982, the Socialist Republic of Vietnam released some U.S. remains, but it has taken decades and further investigations of joint United States and Vietnam crews to locate the helicopter wreckage and positively identify Peterson, the pilot, and the three other sailors in the crew.
Hetherington says the four were part of a brotherhood of sailors on the Hornet who bonded together during their wartime service.
“We were all there together,” he says. “It’s important to have your brothers back home. I’m so glad for them and their families that they are finally back.
“Soldiers in any war face the same concerns and dilemmas,” Hetherington observes. “They ask, why are we here? -What are we doing?”
He calls his fallen Navy brothers heroes (humbly referring to himself as a “participant” whose service as part of the OE Division – Electronics, helped to support and facilitate the bravery and heroics of his shipmates). He notes this is an especially poignant time for the sailors’ remains to come home, as the United States is commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the Vietnam War.
The helicopter crew was attempting to rescue a pilot when they were shot down. That pilot, Larry Duthie, now 70 years old, was able to attend the funeral, Hetherington says. Duthie was certain he would be taken captive by the enemy, having gone down only 45 miles from Hanoi. Duthie was saved, Hetherington says, when an Army helicopter was able to pull him out. “I would love to have met him,” he adds.
“I want to commemorate my guys,” Hetherington explains, and says he can’t imagine the heartache and frustration of the families who waited 46 years for the remains of their loved-ones to come back home.
He notes it is important to commemorate their sacrifice, continue to educate for future generations, and work towards healing. In all, 280 Rochester area soldiers were killed in the Vietnam War. They are memorialized at Highland Park in Rochester.
Hetherington is doing all he can to make sure that the sacrifices made by those who have given their lives for their country are not forgotten. This month he spoke to 7th and 8th graders at Brockport Central School about his experiences during the Vietnam War. The students have been learning about the Vietnam War and recently traveled to Washington, D.C, as part of their studies.
Hetherington says he told students about his experiences and gave them his perspective. He also left them with some questions to ponder: Were the Vietnam War and the Iraq War justified? Is the United States the world’s police force and should it be?
Those are questions that will help, “to make them think,” Hetherington says.
“We were all there together,” Tom Hetherington says. “It’s important to have your brothers back home. I’m so glad for them and their families that they are finally back.”
