thedrifter
01-07-05, 12:08 AM
Vietnam vet's remains found
By JANE LERNER
THE JOURNAL NEWS
(Original publication: January 6, 2005)
For more than three decades, Pearl River High School classmates Russ Williams and Bill Harris have worn metal bracelets engraved with the name of a buddy who disappeared in Vietnam in 1967 on the day he started his tour of duty.
Heinz Ahlmeyer Jr., a rugged, 23-year-old athlete who played football and baseball at Pearl River High School, has been presumed dead since in May 1967, when Marine Corps officers appeared on the doorsteps of his family's South Nauraushaun Road home to say he was lost in combat.
No one ever knew for sure.
Until now.
Ahlmeyer's sister, Irene Healea of Watertown, Tenn., received a telephone call Tuesday informing her that her brother's remains had been found in Vietnam and positively identified. She is his closest surviving relative.
"I couldn't even say anything," Healea said yesterday. "I knew he had been killed, but as long as he was still listed as missing in action, there was always that little bit of hope that somehow he was alive in a prison camp somewhere. Now that hope is gone."
As soon as she learned her brother's fate, she called friends in Pearl River. Word that the Rockland native's fate had finally been settled spread quickly among veterans. Ahlmeyer was one of 46 Rocklanders killed during the war.
"After almost 38 years, he's finally coming home," Williams said tearfully yesterday. "Now he can rest in peace."
Williams, who graduated with Ahlmeyer in 1961, said the news brought great relief: "I didn't know whether to laugh or cry or jump in the air. I didn't think I'd ever be able to take this bracelet off."
Harris said that knowing for certain what happened to Ahlmeyer was both comforting and painful.
"When I heard the news this morning, it felt like we lost him all over again," he said.
Friends and family said Ahlmeyer was a popular and well-liked student at Pearl River High School.
"He was a happy-go-lucky guy," Williams recalled. "There was always a smile on his face and he was always willing to help people."
After graduation, Ahlmeyer went to SUNY-New Paltz, then enlisted in the Marine Corps. Healea said the college gave an award every year in her brother's honor.
Her brother had hoped to have a career in forestry or perhaps teaching, Healea said.
Ahlmeyer was on a reconnaissance patrol in the Quang Tri province on May 10, 1967, when he and three other Marines came under fire. They were presumed dead, but because of enemy fire, commanders deemed it too dangerous to retrieve the bodies, Healea said the family was told.
"It was the right decision," she said. "They didn't want any more casualties."
The family learned of his fate two days before Mother's Day. "It just about killed my parents," Healea recalled.
Another brother, Bill, was an Orangetown police officer until he died of cancer in 1986. Their father, Heinz Sr., died many years ago, but their mother, Aurelia, lived until July, clinging to hope that her son might be alive.
Military officials contacted Healea a year ago and asked her to submit blood samples for DNA testing. "I never really thought anything would come of it," she said.
It was unclear yesterday exactly when his remains were found.
Healea said she would meet with military officials next month to plan a funeral for her brother at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia during the spring.
His name is engraved on the Vietnam Memorial in Washington, and a flagpole in Pearl River's Braunsdorf Park bears his name. But the family never had a final resting place for him.
Jerry Donnellan, Rockland's director of veterans affairs, said he had been in touch with Healea and planned to hold a ceremony to honor Ahlmeyer. "He'll never be forgotten," he said.
Harris said the discovery of Ahlmeyer's remains nearly 38 years after he was lost should provide hope to other families. "It's important for these kids in Iraq today to know that someone cares about them enough to keep looking," he said. "Even if it takes 40 years, we'll never leave them behind."
Ellie
By JANE LERNER
THE JOURNAL NEWS
(Original publication: January 6, 2005)
For more than three decades, Pearl River High School classmates Russ Williams and Bill Harris have worn metal bracelets engraved with the name of a buddy who disappeared in Vietnam in 1967 on the day he started his tour of duty.
Heinz Ahlmeyer Jr., a rugged, 23-year-old athlete who played football and baseball at Pearl River High School, has been presumed dead since in May 1967, when Marine Corps officers appeared on the doorsteps of his family's South Nauraushaun Road home to say he was lost in combat.
No one ever knew for sure.
Until now.
Ahlmeyer's sister, Irene Healea of Watertown, Tenn., received a telephone call Tuesday informing her that her brother's remains had been found in Vietnam and positively identified. She is his closest surviving relative.
"I couldn't even say anything," Healea said yesterday. "I knew he had been killed, but as long as he was still listed as missing in action, there was always that little bit of hope that somehow he was alive in a prison camp somewhere. Now that hope is gone."
As soon as she learned her brother's fate, she called friends in Pearl River. Word that the Rockland native's fate had finally been settled spread quickly among veterans. Ahlmeyer was one of 46 Rocklanders killed during the war.
"After almost 38 years, he's finally coming home," Williams said tearfully yesterday. "Now he can rest in peace."
Williams, who graduated with Ahlmeyer in 1961, said the news brought great relief: "I didn't know whether to laugh or cry or jump in the air. I didn't think I'd ever be able to take this bracelet off."
Harris said that knowing for certain what happened to Ahlmeyer was both comforting and painful.
"When I heard the news this morning, it felt like we lost him all over again," he said.
Friends and family said Ahlmeyer was a popular and well-liked student at Pearl River High School.
"He was a happy-go-lucky guy," Williams recalled. "There was always a smile on his face and he was always willing to help people."
After graduation, Ahlmeyer went to SUNY-New Paltz, then enlisted in the Marine Corps. Healea said the college gave an award every year in her brother's honor.
Her brother had hoped to have a career in forestry or perhaps teaching, Healea said.
Ahlmeyer was on a reconnaissance patrol in the Quang Tri province on May 10, 1967, when he and three other Marines came under fire. They were presumed dead, but because of enemy fire, commanders deemed it too dangerous to retrieve the bodies, Healea said the family was told.
"It was the right decision," she said. "They didn't want any more casualties."
The family learned of his fate two days before Mother's Day. "It just about killed my parents," Healea recalled.
Another brother, Bill, was an Orangetown police officer until he died of cancer in 1986. Their father, Heinz Sr., died many years ago, but their mother, Aurelia, lived until July, clinging to hope that her son might be alive.
Military officials contacted Healea a year ago and asked her to submit blood samples for DNA testing. "I never really thought anything would come of it," she said.
It was unclear yesterday exactly when his remains were found.
Healea said she would meet with military officials next month to plan a funeral for her brother at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia during the spring.
His name is engraved on the Vietnam Memorial in Washington, and a flagpole in Pearl River's Braunsdorf Park bears his name. But the family never had a final resting place for him.
Jerry Donnellan, Rockland's director of veterans affairs, said he had been in touch with Healea and planned to hold a ceremony to honor Ahlmeyer. "He'll never be forgotten," he said.
Harris said the discovery of Ahlmeyer's remains nearly 38 years after he was lost should provide hope to other families. "It's important for these kids in Iraq today to know that someone cares about them enough to keep looking," he said. "Even if it takes 40 years, we'll never leave them behind."
Ellie