The Vietnam Wall Memorial in Washington, D.C., was dedicated on Veterans Day weekend in 1982. It was a sobering tribute to the human cost of U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War.
Designed by Maya Lin, a young 21-year-old architecture student from Yale, she told the Washington Post then, “They can never come back. They should be remembered.”
The wall features the names of 58,281 names of U.S. servicemen and servicewomen who were killed in action, died of their wounds or remain missing and unaccounted for from the Vietnam War. There are eight women on the wall and 43 sets of brothers. There are also 162 Medal of Honor recipients. It provides a heartbreaking visual space for reflection and remembrance.
In 1996, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund decided to create a replica of the wall that could travel around in a tractor trailer and visit communities throughout the country. This makes the wall more accessible to those who either did not have the means to travel to Washington, D.C., or physically were unable to make the trip.
The result was a three-quarter scale replica of the wall that is 375 feet in length and stands 7-1/2 feet high at its highest point. The wall consists of avonite, which is a type of synthetic granite. There are 140 numbered panels that are supported by an aluminum frame.
The frame and all its panels fit into a 53-foot trailer that carries the Wall That Heals. The trailer itself converts to serve as a mobile education center. It displays a timeline of the Vietnam War, shares vital statistics and displays some of the 400,000-plus personal artifacts and tributes that people leave at the Wall in Washington, D.C.
Last week, the Wall That Heals made a stop here in Oregon at Independence. According to volunteer staff there, out of over 130 cities that applied, only 31 cities were selected. Independence was the only city selected from Oregon on the 2025 tour. I decided to drive up to visit the Wall and see if I could locate the names of the fallen from Philomath.
When I arrived, I noticed a couple at the wall. A gentleman had kneeled down to make a rubbing of a name. It was apparent to me he was having trouble getting to his feet and his wife was trying to help him up. I went over to offer them my assistance.
His wife thanked me and promptly said, “We’re from Philomath.” I was shocked.
I asked the couple who they were there to see.
She responded saying “Paul Cochran.” I got chills.
I too had traveled there to find Paul Cochran’s name, among others.
It turns out that the gentleman was Ric Schoonover, who was a member of Philomath High School’s Class of 1970. He was classmates with Shane (Cochran) Fritz, who was Paul’s sister.
Acting as executor of her late mother’s estate, Shane later donated the property to create the Paul J. Cochran Veteran Memorial Park back in 2019.
In Paul Cochran’s obituary, after he died in Vietnam May 1, 1968, the family suggested that in lieu of flowers that friends make donations to the Paul J. Cochran Memorial Scholarship created at Philomath High School. This scholarship was to be awarded every year to a graduating senior starting in 1968, just a month after Paul fell in combat in Vietnam. Current Philomath resident Ben Beddingfield was the first recipient of the scholarship in the Class of 1968.
Ric shared that he was the recipient of the Cochran scholarship in 1970.
Ric’s wife is Melinda (Newell) Schoonover, who graduated with Philomath High’s Class of 1973 and was crowned as the Philomath Frolic queen that same year.
Ric and Melinda got married in 1974 and they just celebrated their 51st wedding anniversary. They have two daughters and three granddaughters.
Ric used the Cochran scholarship to attend Oregon State University to earn a bachelor of science degree with a concentration in business. He graduated in 1974 and a year later started a 32-year career serving in business and administrative roles for the state of Oregon within several agencies.
It was apparent that he was tremendously grateful to have received the scholarship and it meant a lot to visit the Wall That Heals as a thoughtful gesture to honor and thank Paul for his sacrifice. Paul J. Cochran’s name appears on Panel 53E, Line 29.
With Melinda serving as the 1973 Frolic queen, I had to ask what her fondest memory was about serving in that role.
“Traveling around Philomath,” she said. “Back then, most people had no clue the timber town even existed. And talking about Rex Clemens, Dorval Bevens and (TJ and Bruce) Starker. These men, along with several others, really made our town what it once was.”
It is noteworthy that Melinda’s parents, Audrey and Lucky Newell, helped bring back the rodeo to Philomath in the 1980s.
Paul Cochran lived on College Street and graduated PHS with the Class of 1966. His PHS classmate was David Styles who used to live on Seventh Street in Philomath. Drafted into the Army, David trained as a combat medic. He served in Vietnam in 1968 and died in an ambush on March 29, 1969.
I was aware from past conversations with Peggy (Styles) Neville, David’s Gold Star sister, that she had never had the opportunity to visit the Wall in Washington D.C., and see her brother’s name. Peggy was a member of PHS Class of 1969. Her brother lost his life in Vietnam two months prior to her graduation.
I texted her that the Wall That Heals was planning a stop in nearby Independence and encouraged her to pay a visit.
Last Saturday, Peggy traveled to Independence to see the Wall. She took her fallen brother’s old teddy bear and a picture of her late parents, Bud and Mae Styles. She found her fallen brother’s name on panel 28W, Line 81.
While this was a challenging time for Peggy, she found comfort knowing her brother is not forgotten.
One of the interesting artifacts on display that accompanies the Wall That Heals is called the “Gold Star Bike.” This bike was built by Vietnam-era veteran Steve Davenport from Alexandria, Virginia, and gifted by the American Gold Star Mothers Inc. to the Vietnam Veteran Memorial Fund back in 2012. This Softail Harley is customized in the style of the Vietnam Memorial. It contains 75 names from the wall to include Corp. Robert Cupp, who was Davenport’s childhood friend killed in Vietnam in 1968.
The bike made me think about the Gold Star mothers from the Philomath area. I thought about Mae Styles, David’s Gold Star mother. I thought about Beverly Cochran Durham, Paul Cochran’s Gold Star mother whose last wish was to donate the property at 1545 College St., in Philomath to build the veterans park in honor of her fallen son.
I thought about Gold Star mother Dorthy Gassner from Blodgett and Gold Star mother Wilma Eagleson from nearby Eddyville. Both of their sons Larry and Bobby, respectively, got drafted into the U.S. Army. Both served in the 25th Infantry Division at different times. Neither one of them wanted to go to combat but nevertheless they served their country like they were told to do. They were killed in action two years apart. Eagleson died in 1968; Gassner in 1970. Both of their names now appear on the Wall That Heals.
It is impossible to find the words that capture the depth of grief these Gold Star mothers experienced. Sunday, Sept. 28, is National Gold Star Mother’s Day. I encourage you to remember these mothers this weekend. Gold Star mothers from across the country will convene at Arlington National Cemetery that day to place a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
Lest we forget, the unknown soldier had a mother, too. There is nothing stronger than a mother’s love. Giving birth to a son from what I know is painful for a mother. From what I have learned, losing one in war seems far worse.
Never forget!
(Eric Niemann is a former mayor and city councilor in Philomath. He can be reached at Lifeinphilomath@gmail.com).