STOCKTON-
A veterans group is doing what they can to restore a Vietnam War memorial in Stockton.
A wall with the names of all those from San Joaquin County who lost their life in the conflict is in disrepair, and has recently been vandalized.
Ron Green remembers many of the names on the wall which was erected in 1973 to honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice in Vietnam.
“Leonard L. Newton had this motor scooter he used to drive around,” Green recalled.
Green himself served in the Navy reserve at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii during the war, but he said many of his classmates were not so lucky. Three, including Newton, were killed in action in Vietnam.
“I was in a group that hung around with a group that he hung around with… I believe he was killed in ’70… ’69 or ’70,” Green said.
Now Green is working with the Stockton Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 52 to restore the wall which has been neglected over the years.
“[Our] comrades that are on the wall and their families deserve more than just having a piece of metal hold it up,” said Cecil Dennings, VFW 52nd Post’s leader.
Last year, Dennings said that piece of metal failed during an act of vandalism when someone pushed the memorial over.
Hoping to raise donations, Dennings has plans to make upgrades to ensure that won’t happen again.
“When we replace it, we’re going to put feet on each side,” Dennings told FOX40.
The post will also be adding new names to the wall, including Johnny O. Brooks, a veteran whose wife Flora said was never the same after coming home from Vietnam.
“He could remember things, he knew who I was, knew who his folks were… [But he became paralyzed], he basically couldn’t use his hands. The brain damage paralyzed his throat he couldn’t talk, he couldn’t swallow, he couldn’t eat. He had a very limited life,” Brooks said.
But Flora Brooks stuck with her husband, who had been her high school sweetheart.
She took care of her husband’s needs and made quilts for him over the years.
Johnny Brooks ultimately succumbed to his war wounds 40 years later, passing away in 2011, according to his wife.
Because he died from his wounds received in combat, his name was added to the Vietnam War Memorial in Washington D.C.
“When you go to that wall, it’s almost like the country saying ‘we’re recognizing you, what you went through’,” Brooks said.
Flora Brooks believes her husband’s name belongs on Stockton’s wall as well.
“[Because] this is Johnny’s hometown,” Brooks said.