by Amanda Rink, Editor
In late April, at Iowa Central Community College (ICCC), students, educators, and families gathered to launch a new book and share the memory of 55 young men from Central Iowa who never came back from the Vietnam War.
But unlike other books of its kind, Before They Were Soldiers doesn’t focus on the chaos of battle. Instead, it looks back at the lives the men experienced before war touched them, lives that began on quiet farms, in small-town schools, on baseball fields, at the local grocery store, and around kitchen tables right here in Iowa.
The project, begun by T.J. Martin, Dean of Distance Learning at ICCC, took three and a half years to complete, far longer than a typical college assignment. In partnership with history professor Kurt Schmid, the idea turned into a one-of-a-kind course that invited students to do more than just study history, they were asked to tell it.
“This wasn’t something the college normally does,” Martin explained. “A lot of nights and weekends went into this, from start to finish.”
Initially, the families of the fallen thought the students would be writing a short academic paper. “Once they realized it was going to be a book, something they could actually hold onto—things changed,” Martin said. That shift helped deepen the collaboration between students and families, opening the door to stories that might have otherwise gone untold.
He recalled how the interviews would often begin with lighthearted memories, fishing trips, high school pranks, and baseball games, but slowly, emotion would take over as the reality of their loved one’s deaths set in again. “Even those of us who weren’t directly involved in the writing, just reading and proofreading, you start to feel connected to the families.”
For the students, the experience made history personal. “[The war] stopped being just a long-ago event,” Martin said. “[Students] were able to feel it. They learned from the real, raw emotions.” And the impact was felt far beyond the classroom: one brother flew in from Indonesia to attend the launch event, and 22 families of the 55 men were present, along with over 300 members of the community.
“Everyone has a story,” said student Robert Brecht in a press release for ICCC. “Sometimes we just need someone else to tell it.”
For Clarion, four of the stories hit close to home. These young men highlighted in the collection once walked the same streets, sat in the same classrooms, and looked toward the same skies over Wright County. Most especially, their memory is still honored and their presence missed by many who still call Clarion home. Their names may be carved in granite on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, but their roots remain here.
– Thomas Richard Poundstone was born on September 16, 1944, and tragically died on his 25th birthday, September 16, 1969, in a non-hostile helicopter crash in Binh Dinh Province, South Vietnam. Serving as a Chief Warrant Officer 2 (CW2) with the U.S. Army’s 180th Assault Support Helicopter Company, 268th Aviation Battalion, 17th Aviation Group, 1st Aviation Brigade, he was remembered for his calm leadership and strong spirit. His name is inscribed on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial at Panel 18W, Line 94.
– Jack Rae Smith, born on April 18, 1949, was killed in action on March 31, 1970, at the age of 20. He served as a Sergeant with B Company, 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division. His bravery earned him the Bronze Star Medal for Valor, with Combat Distinguishing Device (V) and Oak Leaf Cluster. Jack’s name appears on Panel 12W, Line 63 of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
– Loren Francis Studer, born on July 21, 1946, served as a Petty Officer Second Class (PO2) with Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 8 (NMCB-8), 3rd Naval Construction Brigade, U.S. Naval Forces Vietnam. He passed away on May 31, 1968, while serving in Vietnam. Loren is buried in Saint John’s Cemetery in Clarion, Iowa, and is honored on Panel 62W, Line 18 of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
– Richard Joseph Wehrheim, born on August 15, 1946, in Des Moines, Iowa, was killed in action on July 27, 1967, at the age of 20, during an enemy mortar and rocket attack in Binh Duong Province, South Vietnam. He served as a Private First Class (PFC) in the U.S. Army. Richard is buried in Calvary Cemetery in Eagle Grove, Iowa, and is remembered on Panel 26E, Line 55 of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
Each of these young men had dreams before they had dog tags. They were sons, classmates, boyfriends, friends, coworkers, and neighbors. Before They Were Soldiers honors their dreams, freezing in time the moments which made them who they were, before they became heroes.
Thanks to the students and staff at Iowa Central, these stories now hold a permanent place in Iowa’s history. The book is available for purchase on Amazon, though the college will not profit from sales, or can be borrowed from your local library.
