THE SHARON GILL STORY

Dear Gary,

I would like to learn more about my father. He was killed in Vietnam, just what information I have from his obituary and what little I have found on the internet. He was with the 198th Light Infantry Brigade, Co. C. His tour of duty began on Jan. 12, 1970. Casualty was on May 29, 1970 in Quang Ngai, South Vietnam. Kenneth Lee Gill SP4-E4-Army-Selective Service. Thank you for any information you can give me. Sharon Gill

Dear Sharon,

Dear Gary,

I went to the cemetary as you suggested for information from my father's headstone. I had difficulity locating his grave because it was covered with snow. I finally found it and brushed the snow from the headstone I do not know if this is what you are looking for or not but it said 52nd Infantry. Sharon Gill

Dear Terry,

I am forwarding a note from Sharon Gill. She is looking for anyone who knew her father in Vietnam. He was in your company at the same time that you were. If you knew him you may want to contact her and see if you can answer her questions. Please send this to anyone else who may be able to help. Gary Noller

Dear Sharon,

I received an e-mail from Gary Noller with the request of finding information about your father. I served with your father Kenneth Gill in Charlie Co., Kenneth was a great guy and if my memory serves me correct was the proud father of twin girls about two years old.

Gill, as most of us called him, was a sniper for Charlie Co. He was a quiet guy who was laid back and talked eaisly to the guys around him. He was well liked by all.

Sharon, I don't know what or how much you want to know about your father, so I'll let you get back in contact with me via e-mail or by phone if you would like. I have great respect for your search of information about your father, but only you know how much you are ready to hear. All I know and remember after 30 years about Kenneth Gill is he loved his family and couldn't wait to get home.

I hope you will keep in contact, and remember you have strong ties to Charlie Co. and will always be a part of the Charlie Co. family. Drop me a line or call if that would be better for you. We are having our second annual Charlie Co. Reunion in Indianapolis, IN. on July 21, 22, and 23, 2000. Feel free to come to the reunion and meet others who served with your father. I know the person Gill was and he will be smiling down on you. Take care. Terry Wyrick

Dear Gary,

I just wanted to say thank you for your help in the search for information about my dad. I have already received two responses from mem who knew him. They are Terry Wyrick and Tom Dier. I never thought I would hear anything this soon, if ever. I got cold chills and started crying when I read their letters. This means a lot to me.

They invited me to the 2nd annual Charlie Co. reunion in Indianapolis this year. They also told me I would always be considered part of the Charlie Co. family. They both remembered that my dad had a set of baby twin girls. After 30 years they remembered that. I started cring. If they remembered that after all that time, then my dad must have talked about my sister and I a lot. That touched me in a way I never thought it would. I guess I just needed to know that he loved me. Sharon Gill

Dear Terry,

I never expected to hear anything this soon, if at all. Your letter really touched me. My mom and dad divorced when I was a baby and mom hardly talked about dad or the war. She had his letters but I never got to read them. I do have his medals. I have just always wandered what he was like and if he thought about me much.

And yes, he does have twin girls, I have a twin sister, Karen. We were two and a half when he was killed. We have always wondered about him but didn't know where to look for answers. A friend of the family that also served in Nam told me a couple years ago that he would help me look up information on the net. Well, I didn't take him up on his offer. I just got my computer after Christmas. As soon as I got on the net, I started searching.

When I read your letter and saw that you remembered he had twin girls, I cried. He must have talked about us a lot for you to remember that after all this time. Anything you can tell me I would appreciate. He received the Bronze Star. Would you know what he received that for? I have a few pictures of my dad. I was wondering if you would have any of him you could send me through e-mail?

My dad has two grandchildren. I have an 11 year old daughter, Tequila, and Karen has a 14 year old boy Jesse. I wish he could have known them. I really appreciate the invitation to the reunion. And if there is any way I can make it, I will. This means so much to me, what you are doing.

I want to say, I feel for all of you that went to Nam. I wish you never had to go through that. I hope doing this for me, it isn't bringing up bad memories for you that you would rather not remember. If you could send me some information about the reunion, I would like that. Sharon Gill

Dear Sharon,

I would like to put the story of your search for information about your father in the Americal Newsletter. Maybe someone can be of additional assistance. Do you have any comments to add to what has already transpired? Gary Noller

Dear Gary,

I do not know what to add except that the reason that I started looking for information about my father was because there was this emptiness in me. I know I'll never get all the answers, like why he was taken before I had a chance to know him. But I did wonder how he was killed. I have heard a couple of different stories. By talking with Terry and Tom I have found some of the answers that I wanted.

I hope that someone who spent more time with my father in Vietnam will hear of this and possibly be able to answer more of my questions. Sometimes I am not even sure what I need to know, just that I need to know something, anything, because I will never have the chance to get to know my dad or what he went through or felt the last days of his life. I never imagined that you could form a bond with someone you have never met the way Terry, Tom and I have. They did know my dad and they were with him and they were going through the same thing he was.

I want to thank Terry, and Tom for helping me and caring. I hope this will inspire others who have unanswered questions to search for answers. You might not find everything you are looking for, but in my case, a little bit goes a long way when you hardly know anything. Thank you. Sharon Gill

In this follow-up story Ms. Gill describes her visit with veterans of Charlie Co. durning their summer reunion.

Hi Gary

As you know I was invited to the Charlie Co.(1/52nd Infantry)reunion in Indianapolis to meet with men that served in Vietnam with my dad. I decided to go to Indy.(about a 6 hour drive.) I was doing okay until I got about an hour away from Indy. I really started getting nervous.

After I checked in the hotel I went down to the meeting room. Terry Wyrick had sent me a recent picture of him so I knew I'd know him when I saw him. I only had a picture of Tom when he served in Vietnam. So I walked in and there was only a man and woman in the room. I asked if they knew where Terry Wyrick was and the man asked if I was Sharon. I told him I was and he started walking to me and said, "I'm Tom."

We just hugged and cried. He told me Terry was outside and he would be happy to see me. So I walked outside, my whole body was shaking. I was so nervous. As soon as I got to the door I saw Terry. He turned around and saw me standing there and we walked toward each other and started hugging and crying. He didn't have any pictures of me, somehow when he saw me he just knew who I was. We hugged and cried for quite awhile.

He then introduced me to the rest of the guys and we took a bunch of pictures. I was still nervous but it was a different kind on nervous. I just didn't know what to say. Terry and Tom asked if I had eaten and I told them no so they took me out to dinner. They really made feel comfortable and like a part of the family. Of course throughout the visit we would laugh and cry.

I listened to stories of their tours in Nam and looked at pictures. It was very emotional. One of the men, who had never met my dad, asked me to take a walk with him. We talked about a lot of things. He did most of the talking, I'm pretty quiet around people I just meet. We must have walked for an hour or so. He started telling me this story about him and his buddy that were over there together. He started getting tears in his eyes and couldn't actually say what happened. When I said "He never make it back", he said "No" and started crying. We grabbed each other and cried. He said he'd never cried on anyone's shoulder like that before. I don't know what enabled him to cry on my shoulder but I'm glad I was able to be there for him.

I feel very close to these men. None of the Men I've met knew my dad very well but meeting them and talking to them and hearing about their time in Vietnam has helped me a lot. My dad's last days were spent over there and I just needed to know what it was like for him.

I don't know if anyone will agree with what I'm about to say or even feel the same way, but they say my dad gave the greatest sacrifice. Well I guess that is true, but I can't call it less of a sacrifice for the ones that did make it home. Their lives were completely changed. They are having to live with those memories everyday of their lives. It is something they will never get over. It is now 30 years later and they are still living like it was yesterday.

I feel the loss of my dad because I wasn't able to grow up with him, but I was only two when he died. I didn't know him. I don't have the memories that the parents and brothers and sisters of men that didn't come home have. They have to feel a bigger loss than me. I just wish I could take away the pain of the men and women that were over there and the families of the men that didn't make it back. These are very special and caring people, and I hope they can find peace in their lives. And if there is anything I could do to help them, I would.

I want to thank the men from Charlie Co. for helping me and for considering me part of their "family". They will always be very special to me and I'll never forget them. They've made a big impact on my life and I'm going to keep going to the reunions to see them and possibly meet more of the men that served with my dad. They are always in my prayers and thoughts. Sharon Gill

BACK TO HOME PAGE