Idaho lost 251 service members in the Vietnam War, part of more than 1.3 million Americans killed in the nation’s conflicts since the Revolutionary War.
Congress set the last Monday in May as Memorial Day in 1968 to remember those who died serving the country. Vietnam claimed 58,220 U.S. troops nationwide.
Idaho’s official Vietnam Veterans Memorial stands in Idaho Falls, established through collaboration with the Freedom Bird group in eastern Idaho. A memorial book titled “Reasons to Remember” by Marilyn Whyte of Blackfoot documents the lives of Idaho’s fallen from that war.
First Lt. Frank Reasoner of Kellogg died on patrol July 12, 1965, and received the Congressional Medal of Honor for shielding Marines from enemy fire near Da Nang Air Base.
Capt. Troy Oliver Jr. of Boise died May 19, 1968, in Quang Tin Province after requesting combat duty at Khe Sanh. PFC Jimmy Nakayama of Rigby died Nov. 17, 1965, from wounds suffered when a misdirected napalm canister struck his position in the Ia Drang Valley, leaving behind a 10-day-old daughter.
Recent conflicts have added to the toll. The Iraq War claimed 4,492 Americans, the Afghanistan War 2,459, and the Iran War 13 so far. Hundreds of thousands more veterans died from war’s aftereffects including physical injuries, psychological trauma, substance abuse, suicide, and toxic exposure.
Former Gov. Dirk Kempthorne, who died recently, led a private rescue mission in 2023 that evacuated 395 Afghan allies and their families from Taliban-controlled territory. Kempthorne and two Army officers raised one million dollars in private funds to charter an Airbus 340 that transported the evacuees to Abu Dhabi, with all but four later resettled in the United States.
The operation required coordination across multiple foreign and domestic agencies. When seating fell short, Kempthorne solved the problem by having infants ride on parents’ laps.
In a 2023 interview at the George W. Bush Presidential Center, Kempthorne said the rescue honored America’s promise that “if you help America, we will not abandon you.”
Copies of “Reasons to Remember” remain available through online retailers, though the book is out of print.