The Car - An Update The Car a Candy Tangerine Orange Metallic Corvette convertible. The Driver a 67 year-old Vietnam Veteran, patriotic to the core. The Driver had long been supportive of the POW-MIA cause and the organization. He wore several bracelets for the step-son of a friend for many years. The Car, always drawing lots of comments and thumbs-up gestures as it flashed down the highway, seemed to be lacking something as far as the Driver was concerned. So, he talked with his friend, a car finish design expert and they decided on a project. The project was to design a ripped, peeled back section on the hood from which the POW-MIA logo design would emerge. With custom designed carbon fiber background, the design literally jumped out of the hood. Lest We Forget was emblazoned across the windshield. There were POW-MIA valve stem covers, wheel centers, medallions under the hood and the outline of a kneeling soldier with wings and the words All Gave Some, Some Gave All painted on the entire surface of the underside of the hood. In the process, they decided to make a plaque listing not only the son of his friend, but all of the thirty-nine Oregon men still listed as missing from the Vietnam War. A moving tribute to young men still missing and presumed dead, but in an unknown status. A stand for the plaque let is stand at attention in front of the car for all to see. The first car show with the new design netted a trophy and stories from the public about their Fathers, Brothers and Comrades and their combat experiences.
The second car show netted another trophy and a heart-rending story from a lovely woman standing in front of the car and reading the names. As The Driver approached her, she said she wore a bracelet for an Oregon soldier and There s his name! she exclaimed. She said her son had picked the bracelet to wear when he visited the Vietnam Wall in Washington, D.C. and had worn it until he was deployed to Afghanistan, when he was told he could not wear it. So she took over the duty of wearing it, now almost worn down so that the name was indistinguishable, but you could still see it. She also volunteered her time to send boxes to the troops all year long; making sure her boys had things they needed while away at war. There were three more car shows, trophies won and stories from the public about their experiences and those of their family members and friends. There were also Thank you s for keeping the memories of the Vietnam missing alive and in the face of a public that sometimes didn t even realize there were still missing warriors from so long ago. Teenage boys were particularly interested in what POW-MIA was and were impressed with the car and the cause and went away with a new understanding of a generation of warriors who too often were not acknowledged or thanked for their service until many years later, when old wounds have finally healed. So, out of the determination and dedication of The Driver, many people now understand the meaning of POW-MIA stickers, signs and flags they see everywhere. They know the sacrifice and sorrow of the families still waiting for that awful day when they receive the news that their loved one is no longer missing, but deceased. They understand the POW-MIA organization s never-ending search of Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and North Vietnam for remains of
American military men either held as prisoners or killed in action, and the hope that maybe, just maybe, they will find one alive somewhere, sometime. True patriots endlessly working to find a final answer for so many families. God Bless America! Keep her safe from her enemies, within and without, and God Bless The Driver and all of his Comrades in Arms who still believe America is the greatest country in the world and will still fight to defend her and the freedom she offers to all who believe in God and Country.
The Update 2012 Veterans Day Parade - Roseburg, OR A group of Corvette owners from the Timberland Corvette Club and the Pacific Coast Corvette Club, mostly veterans, agreed to carry World War II veterans in the parade. The Driver had a banner made stating Corvettes for World War II Vets leading 16 Corvettes all carrying a World War II veteran. The Car carried Zane Becker, a 92 year-old POW from Canyonville, OR. His name was on the doors and he waved and enjoyed the ride along the parade route so much. He said, I m going to be famous and we told him he already was, serving his country, suffering terrible atrocities as a civilian attached to the Navy. He spent his time in hell in the prison camp known astokyo-05b-niigata, where he was finally liberated by the U.S. Army. 2013 - Car Show Events On Fathers Day week-end in Reedsport, Or, an annual Corvette Show sponsored by the City s Chainsaw Carving Festival, The Car again brought home the impact the POW/MIA theme of The Car has on the public. The Driver was busy explaining items on the car, so this author took over the explanation of the plaque listing the 39 Oregon Military men who have still not come home from the Vietnam war. Four of the names where pointed out as the husband of my best friend, my brother s best friend in high school, my neighbor s son, my cousin. One lady, whose son just returned from Afghanistan, could only stand and cry while I held her, at the revelation of all the boys who still had not come home to their families, realizing that this still happens today and could have been her own son on a list of missing servicemen.
In July, the Pacific Coast Corvette Club in Coos Bay, OR had a car show. The Car again brought tears to eyes of young girls getting their pictures taken sitting in the car. It also brought young boys with their Dad explaining the POW/MIA purpose to them. Later, each of the boys came and shook The Driver s hand and thanked him for his service and for providing the car. But then, the most moving and poignant moments occurred as a group of men and women stood by The Car, taking pictures. The Driver went over to talk with them, showing them different items on the car and its engine compartment. Seeing the man s cap stating A Patriot believes it, a Veteran lived it, The Driver thanked the man for his service, discussing what branch of the service he was with. The Driver asked if they would like to take his picture in the car and while helping the veteran out of the car, noted his POW/MIA bracelet was pretty worn. His Sister explained that it was HIS bracelet, as he had been a POW for 6 years and eventually ended up at Camp Vegas, commonly known as the Hanoi Hilton. He had been moved and kept secret with a group of prisoners known to be the LULU s, Lost Union of Laotian Unfortunates, always separated from other prisoners and denied any exchange of packages or letters from the U.S. and their names were never included on any POW listings until after the war. Suffering unspeakable torture and always kept in solitary, the LULU s were special targets for torture and beatings; four military men and three civilians, banded together for survival in spite of a cruel and inhumane enemy. Stephen G. Long, Captain, USAF, was born in Hastings, NE in 1944 with a city of record at military induction of Chiloquin, OR and was shot down over Laos near Mugai Pass on 28 February 1969 in a 02A, a Bat 21 forward observer plane, a particularly easy target for the Viet Cong.
Now living in Las Vegas and visiting Oregon relatives, he came from Medford to see the car after his niece had seen it in Coquille, OR and knew it would be in Coos Bay this particular week-end. Needless to say, it was a very emotional meeting and made The Car even more significant as a vehicle for education and healing. Shaking Steve s hand and giving him a hug and thanking him for his service and sacrifice, you can still see the hidden and untold pain and torture behind those clear, blue eyes. Steve no longer can fly due to his health, but this quiet, dignified man personifies everything America is, and can still be..reserved, with an inner fire that nothing will detour, no matter the personal cost. Thank you, Captain Stephen G. Long, for giving America pride and hope for the future of America by telling your story and the stories of so many who have sacrificed for this great Country.
Your story and the stories of thousands of military men who gave all for their country should be carried on by those of us still willing and able to tell others while we still can. By Susanne M. Weston Lest We Forget