Ygnacio Valley High honors six alumni killed during Vietnam War
CONCORD, CA (Dec. 7, 2023) — With several hundred students looking on whose parents were probably not born until the Vietnam War ended, Ygnacio Valley High School recently held a moving ceremony to commemorate Veterans Day.
And this was not an annual event to honor fallen heroes who gave their lives in service of their country. School principal Jonathan Pike, who still serves in the military, lead the ceremony. The scheel dedicated two benches with the names of six former Ygnacio Valley students killed in action during the Vietnam conflict.
The ceremony was the culmination of a project Ygnacio Valley alumnus Heidi Shearer has spearheaded. As Pike was quick to point out, Shearer has been a force of nature around her old campus in recent years.
The principal mentioned benches in the center of the school grounds that she and others have fundraised for in the greater Ygnacio Valley community.
Permanent reminder
The six Vietnam War military casualties who now have a permanent spot in front of their high school were all killed in 1967 and 1968.
Willard Edward Nelson
October 16, 1948 – January 30, 1968.
Randall Bingham Choate
July 25, 1949 – August 3, 1968.
John Charles Sterling
June 15, 1949 – December 15, 1968.
James Kevin Koehler
May 2, 1947 – June 11, 1967.
Ronnie Cardoza Pimentel
January 17, 1948 – September 1, 1968.
Daniel Lee McKechnie
November 24, 1947 – November 25, 1968.
Shearer says, “As we look for ways to honor and thank military veterans, we are tremendously proud. And we will always remembering this: a veteran is someone who willingly swore to defend our county knowing it could mean their life. A veteran is someone who accepted military circumstances, good or bad, and utilized them to make themselves stronger.”
Several veterans were in the audience at the ceremony.
Ygnacio Valley Hall of Fame athlete and former NFL quarterback Dan Hartwig spoke on behalf of the families who lost their sons and brothers during Vietnam. His stepbrother James Koehler was one of the six honored.
Pike is a veteran of the Gulf War, the Wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and Panama Operation “Just Cause.”
Jay Bedecarré
Jay Bedecarré is a long-time resident and writer in Concord and Clayton. He began his newspaper writing career while still a senior at Mt. Diablo High School and he has been part of The Pioneer since its inception in 2003. Jay also operates Bay Area Festivals, presenting events around the San Francisco Bay Area including Bay Area KidFest annually in Downtown Concord.