New memorial honors UW-Platteville students, alumni killed in Vietnam War

PLATTEVILLE, Wis. — A new memorial honoring a dozen University of Wisconsin-Platteville students and alumni killed in action during the Vietnam War now sits in front of Ullsvik Hall.

The memorial, a boulder featuring a plaque with the names of all 12 students and alumni killed in the war, was unveiled on campus Friday in honor of Veterans Day. It pays tribute to fallen soldiers from four branches of the military:

Chief Warrant Officer 2 Ronald R. Blohm – Army
Sergeant Edwin F. Brown – Army
Second Lieutenant Vasilios Demetris – Marine Corps
Lance Corporal Daniel F. Gallagher – Marine Corps
Specialist 4 John C. Imrie – Army
Hospitalman Larry W. Knight – Navy
First Lieutenant Dean W. Krueger – Air Force
Specialist 4 Paul E. Mattson – Army
Corporal Francis T. Mulvey – Army
Specialist 4 Brian S. Perlewitz – Army
Hospitalman Richard E. Sutherland – Navy
Private First Class Louis L. Zittergruen – Army

Efforts to honor Vietnam War veterans tied to campus who lost their lives in the fighting began about five years ago with retired Marine Corps Lt. Col. Mac Kolar, who was researching the stories of veterans from his hometown of Fennimore who died in the war. Kolar and another UW-Platteville alumnus, Dr. Jim Lawton, noticed there was no comprehensive list of campus veterans killed in the fighting or a memorial to them, so they set out to change that, the university said.

“It was quite a long procedure, but as I got into it and began to find records and find more information, I found that I was very involved in their personal story,” Kolar said. “That was complemented by the fact that I have talked to so many of the family members and, for the first time today, I’m actually getting to meet them and give them a hug.”

Kolar hopes one day the memorial can include a QR code people can scan with their phones that will provide more information about each of the casualties “so that it’s more than just a name.”