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WARREN -- Even though U.S. Army Capt. Richard M. Rees made the ultimate sacrifice during the Vietnam War and won a series of awards for his service, bravery and actions, the inscription on his headstone remains incomplete.
That's something Maj. Jari J. Karttunen and others want to change.
"Capt. Rees' gravesite at Oakwood Cemetery in Warren does not include markers for his Distinguished Service Cross and a second Silver Star," the Bristolville resident, who's with the Special Forces U.S. Army Retired Reserve, said.
Karttunen, who served in the Army from 1976 to 1980 and in Reserve duty in 1994, said he felt the move was timely because of the recent 50th anniversary of Rees' death. Rees, who was attached to the Joint Resolution Casualty Center, was shot to death Dec. 15, 1973, under hostile fire near a jungle camp about 12 miles from Saigon during the Vietnam War.
Just beforehand, he had led a team of unarmed Special Forces to recover the remains of American soldiers. Immediately after landing by helicopter at the site, the American men came under enemy fire from communist gunner forces. Four other Americans were wounded in the attack.
During the confrontation, Rees ordered Sgts. Peter Holmberg and Edwin Blakemore to stay down as Rees made himself vulnerable to, and met with, the enemy commander, according to Karttunen. As a result, Rees was killed in a nearby creek bed, though his actions are credited for the timely rescue of Blakemore and Holmberg.
Consequently, Rees, a 1959 Warren G. Harding High School graduate, was awarded a Distinguished Service Cross and two Silver Stars.
"Without warning, the enemy force directed a devastating combination of arms, grenades, napalm ... fire into that unit," according to an account included on his Distinguished Service Cross citation.
Nevertheless, mention of the Distinguished Service Cross and one of his Silver Stars are not included on Rees' headstone, Karttunen said. He added that Special Forces veterans are working with the Trumbull Veteran Services Commission in Warren to secure a new gravestone for Rees to rectify the omissions.
Earlier this year, Rees, who also attended Kent State University at Trumbull and graduated from The Ohio State University, was posthumously inducted into the Army's Officer Candidate School Hall of Fame.
"He will always be remembered as an excellent soldier and courageous fighter for freedom," Karttunen said.