FREEDOM, Wis. (WFRV) – The Vietnam War Veterans Recognition Act of 2017 declared March 29 the day we pay tribute to our Vietnam War veterans’ unwavering courage, dedication and the countless sacrifices made by them and their families during one of the most challenging conflicts in our nation’s history.
Local 5 News has been telling the stories of Vietnam War and Vietnam Era veterans for years during our weekly Hometown Heroes series that airs every Friday at 6:30 a.m., 6 p.m. and 10 p.m.
Hometown Heroes: Menasha’s Medal of Honor recipient Kenneth E. Stumpf
The Fox Valley’s Jerry Weyers remember the summer of 1967 very well. He calls it a turning point in his life.
He attended his first two military funerals, hearing the sounds of the honor guard. It was then that he decided to leave his father’s farm and join the Army.
“I knew the draft was getting hot and heavy,” Weyers told Local 5’s Kaitlin Corbett. “They’re probably going to get me. So, I went and talked to my Army recruiter and he sent me down to Milwaukee, to take the test.”
That test landed Weyers in electronics school, where he was trained to be a microwave radio repairman and operator. But once he got to Vietnam, that job description changed.
“They didn’t tell us that for every radio, you need a tower to send a signal. And they’ve got me up 30 feet in the air painting a water tower for them and what are they looking for? They’re looking for somebody who’s not afraid of heights.”
Weyers’ silo-climbing skills on the farm had now made him part of the radio tower team; a dangerous job, but one that he loved.
“If you think about it, building a radio tower, you’re building a landmark for the bad guys to take pot-shots at you. But we didn’t think about that, we were just doing our job for our country.”
Weyers got out of the Army in 1970 and went on to work as an electrician.
He joined the honor guard at the Freedom VFW and displays a yearly exhibit honoring veterans at the Freedom Area Historical Society.
For close to five decades, Weyers has made it his mission to honor veterans in any way he can. One more you might not expect: through music.
Weyers travels to assisted living facilities playing his music, honoring veterans with songs like Taps and Amazing Grace.
“It pays tribute to their service to our country. I think it’s important, and we need to honor that. Until you’ve been through it, no one understands what it takes and what it feels like to serve your country.”
Hometown Heroes: Menasha’s Medal of Honor Recipient Elmer J. Burr
Weyers does know what it feels like, and it’s led him to where he is today.
“All those things kind of add up, and you become who you are and what you strive for, and sometimes things work out.”
