Mother shares stories about son killed in Vietnam

NEWARK – When a man in uniform and a minister showed up on her doorstep in March of 1968, Kathryn Kinnard almost slammed the door in their faces. She knew why they had come.

She hadn't been feeling well all day and had even called her boss at J.C. Penny to let him know that she could not make it to work.

"I think mothers have a sense about stuff like that," Kinnard said.

Daniel L. Kinnard, her middle son, died in combat at age 18 on March 9, 1968. He was a medic, and he died while providing care to injured comrades. That's what the two men at the door told her that day 47 years ago.

Last week, a bill was introduced on Capitol Hill to have the Veterans Affairs Community Based Outpatient Clinic in Newark renamed in memory of Daniel. The bill has moved on to the Senate Veteran's Affairs Committee, but it could take another few months before the clinic is renamed.

"I'm very, very honored," said Kinnard, now 83. "My whole family is very honored. I'm very proud. Dan was a wonderful guy."

There were 36 soldiers from Licking County who died in Vietnam, but Kinnard said she thinks the clinic may be renamed for her son because he was a medic.

"He loved the Army," Kinnard said. "If he had come home, he probably would have been a lifer."

Sending boys to Vietnam

In 1968, Kinnard had two sons serving in the U.S. armed forces. Her eldest son, Steve, served on nuclear submarines during the Vietnam War.

"I had double trouble," Kinnard said.

Steve survived the war, but one of Kinnard's nephews was killed three months after Daniel.

Her middle son had always wanted to be a soldier, Kinnard said. Combining that with his love for helping people, being a medic in the Army was the perfect fit for him.

"He loved the Army. That's why he wanted Dad and Mom to sign papers for him to go in before he graduated from high school," Kinnard said. "He was just proud to be an American."

When Daniel left for Vietnam, he also left his childhood sweetheart behind. The couple was engaged to be married.

"Whatever happens, don't be sad," Daniel had told his mother before he deployed with the 101st airborne division in 1967.

Remembering Daniel

Although Daniel has been gone for 47 years, Kinnard still sees her middle son in the faces of her great grandchildren, especially the youngest, who bears an uncanny resemblance to his great-uncle. And Daniel's pictures still line the shelves and walls of her Newark home. She also keeps his many medals and honors on display, which include a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart.

Daniel is buried in Memorial Gardens Cemetery in Mount Vernon, between his grandmother and his father. Kinnard said the family was offered a plot in Arlington National Cemetery, but they turned it down so Daniel could stay close by.

"I don't want him somewhere else. I want him here with us," Kinnard said.

Aside from pictures, Kinnard also has a scrapbook full of letters expressing their condolences after Daniel's death. She even saved the telegrams that reported his death in March 1968.

Inside the scrapbook are emails and letters from friends of Daniel who were with him when he died. The emails and letters had been sent to Kinnad's oldest son, Steve, who was reluctant to show them to his mother at first. Although there are descriptions of his death in the correspondence, Kinnard said she was happy to receive them because she knew finally that her son was not alone with he died.

"Your brother and I were close friends and he was a true hero, never showing a moments fear even in his last moments. I admire his courage an will never forget," Arden Riggle wrote to Steve.

In another email, a different Vietnam veteran wrote to Steve: "The reality is that Daniel Kinnard acted with bravery, courage and dignity, looking after his brothers in combat. ... He encouraged us by example to carry on the compassion, dedication and healing for each other that he demonstrated to us all 34 years ago."

abisaro@gannett.com

740-328-8822

Twitter: @abisaro_NEW

Coming Monday

A look back at a long-ago local effort to memorialize World War I veterans.