A ceremony in recognition of Vietnam Veterans Day will be held at 11 a.m. Monday, March 29 at the veterans memorial at the Highland County Courthouse in Hillsboro.

The observance is open and the public is encouraged to attend.

“We’re doing it as a reminder of what we did when we sent these boys over there,” said Hillsboro area Vietnam veteran Gerold “Buzzard” Wilkin.

He said March 29 marks the day the last United States combat troop left Vietnam in 1973.

For years it was believed that nine Highland County soldiers lost their lives in Vietnam. A few years ago a plaque, called the Broken Wing Tribute — The Fallen Sons of Highland County, was established listing the names of those nine veterans, their hometown, date of birth and their date of death.

But after much research by a group of dedicated local residents, two more names have been added to the list — David Lynn McConnaughey of Hillsboro and James Harold Waulk of Greenfield.

The military lists McConnaughey’s hometown as Lebanon, but Wilkin said he grew up fishing, swimming, playing cops and robbers and all other kinds of games with McConnaughey in Highland County.

“I knew when he was killed because I was over there when he was. I grew up with him,” Wilkin said.

He said Waulk actually lived just across the Highland County border in Ross County, but spent his young life in Greenfield and went to McClain High School.

The other names on the plaque include: Robert Charles Wing of Greenfield, Charles Robert Lovedahl of Lynchburg, John Raymond Crouse of Hillsboro, Mark Loren Hook of Hillsboro, Carey Francis McAfee of Hillsboro, Neil James Morris of Greenfield, William Ernest Brown of Hillsboro, Ollie James Gross of Hillsboro and Donald Wayne Priest Jr. of Leesburg.

Reach Jeff Gilliland at 937-402-2522.