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Gary Nels Nelson
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This Memorial is to honor and remember Gary Nels Nelson from Glendale, California.
Gary Nelson was never able to live his life and experience the Joys of living like those of us who survived him,
for he was cut off in the bloom of his youth when he was killed on June 4, 1966 at the tender age of twenty-one,
when he hit a trip wire of a land mine while on Patrol, in Quang Nam Province, Vietnam, but Gary packed more living
in his short life than most of us do during a long extended "tour" - He was vivacious and loved life,
and had many goals, one of which was to become a commercial pilot.
Gary was an only child, born Christmas Eve, 1944, the son of Shirley and Phillip Nelson of Glendale, California.
Gary attended Glendale schools, was the captain of his High School Water Polo Team for the year 1962 and
eventually graduated in 1963.
His desire was to return home and attend Glendale Junior College, which was never to be, but it was later reported in the Campus newspaper,
the "El Vaquero," that he was killed in Vietnam just weeks before coming home.
He was well liked by his classmates and friends, and I heard that he was loved by all
who knew him. Read the remarks
Gary's friend Craig Cook sent me, which defined Gary's life, since his closest friends knew him best.
I never knew Gary in life, but I knew him for over 32 years in death. I will explain...
In 1967, I came to know him in a very strange and "special" way. This "special"
way I have told and wish to share in greater detail in my "Trip for Healing." You can read it by clicking
on the Button below.
I am hoping some of his friends will come forward and give a detailed history of their experiences
with Gary. The above picture, his Senior Class Portrait, from the 1963 Stylus, the Glendale High School Year book,
was provided by George Mason, a former classmate of
Gary's. I wish to heartfully thank George for his desire to help me in this way, to create this Memorial to Gary,
so that he will never be forgotten.
As far as how and why I feel about Gary... Though I have never met him, I can only say that,
because of that strange connection to Gary, over the passing years of my mis-guided mourning of him, that I have
come to feel like I am his friend, and wish to nurture this friendship for the rest of my days. It is for
this reason that in 1996, I entered the Locked Garden of Honor in the Court of Freedom, at Forest Lawn Memorial
Park, in Glendale, California, and put a bouquet of flowers on his niche, and sat there in silence and in prayer,
talking to him and to God, and wishing him well. I also vowed then and there, that I would continue this
brotherhood till I, myself, am no longer in this world, and until the day that I will meet him in person,
in that sweet place where he continues his Life today. God bless you Gary Nelson, those of us who love you,
will never forget you.
Semper Fi! ~ Brother !
Your 'Mystic Friend'
Jake,
Hoover High School, Glendale, California
Class of '62 - 'The Biggest and Best'
Read about my return trip to California, a Trip
for Healing.
No more Sad Good-bye's
Our son,
so much time has passed away
since you said goodbye: How we remember the tears!
Yet your handsome, smiling face is as clear to us, today
Through the mists of the passing
years.
~
With your
birth, you gave us such wonderful joy...
In our youth, what happiness
you brought to us two,
When God gave us such a wonderful
boy,
Our Pride was complete in
you!
~
How can
we describe the emptiness
that we daily and yearly must
face?
In inadequate words, that
we cannot express,
Nor the sorrow that time cannot
erase?
~
We had you,
it seemed, for such a little while,
From childhood, as to a man
you slowly grew..
We can still see your face,
and your lovely smile,
And the love we had then, we still have for you.
~
If we could
have but one answered prayer:
To see you son, as you are
today...
And in you, our son, the Pride
we share,
Has never gone away!
~
Though son,
you're gone, and though we had to part,
Know, this, that our love
for you will never die;
Your memory is safe within
our heart
And we'll never again say
goodbye.
~
So son,
be at rest, find in God, Perfect Peace...
The time will come when we'll
see your smiling face...
Then sorrows will end, and
our tears then will cease,
When there, in That Perfect
Love we'll embrace.
~
No more
tears we'll shed, no more mournful sighs,
And our Happiness will forever
increase.
And our Joy will be Full: No more sad goodbyes,
in that Place of Perfect Peace...
~
When the
burden of our soul is overwhelming,
and the load, we doubt we
can bear...
We can go to our knees, and
in faith resounding,
And find the Lord Comforting
us there.
by Jake Jaccard, Web Yeoman
and Glendale's
Herbert Hoover High School, Class of '62
November 1, 1996
This Poem is Dedicated to Phillip and Shirley Nelson
In Loving Memory of their Son, Gary Nels Nelson
Who gave his life valiantly in Quang Nam Province,
Republic of Vietnam, June 4, 1966 - Gone but not Forgotten.
Copyright 1996 - All Rights Reserved
Gary Nelson... this could have been me, or anyone in the 6th Grade,
but it was Gary. He had all the same hopes and dreams
as any other kid. He loved baseball, going swimming, and climbing trees, making tree houses and playing dirt lot
baseball, and tag football. He was, after all a real boy!
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These are pictures of Gary,
from his class pictures taken
in the 6th grade at Verdugo
Woodlands School, in Glendale
California. These photos remind us all how young, and innocent we were as kids.
Look into those eyes; they would eventually see misery and death in a far away
place he probably never heard of at the age of 12.
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9,087,000 military personnel served on active duty during the Vietnam Era (Aug 5, 1964 -
May 7, 1975) and 2,594,000 served in the country of Vietnam and where more than 58,202 never returned home.
Gary was one of them. See the Vietnam Statistics Page for more details
Return here by using the BACK Button
A Warrior's Affirmation
Wall Database Loss Data
Wall Database Information supplied by The Vietnam Casualty Search Page
--- General / Personal ---
Last name: NELSON
First name: GARY NELS
Home of Record (official): GLENDALE
State (official): CA
Date of Birth: Sunday, December 24, 1944
Sex: Male
Race: Caucasian
Marital Status: Single
--- Military ---
Branch: MARINE CORPS
Rank: CPL
Serial Number: 2062763
Component: Regular
Pay grade: E4
MOS (Military Occupational Specialty code): 0351
--- Action ---
Start of Tour: Unknown/Not reported
Date of Casualty: Saturday, June 4, 1966
Age at time of loss: 21
Casualty type: (A1) Hostile, died
Reason: Other explosive device (Ground casualty)
Country: South VietNam
Province: Quang Nam
The Wall: Panel 08E - Row 007
Leave a Memorial to CPL Gary
Nels Nelson
A Message from one of Gary's Childhood Friends
A Newspaper Clipping of a Letter Gary wrote
to his friend Craig Cook
A Copy of Gary Nelson's Obituary
Other Gary Nelson
Memorials
This Page will not print well, therefore, we have provided a Printable Page
Visit my Memorial and Website Dedication to Dewey L. Alexander, LTJG, USNR
Visit my Memorial to Greg
Kelly, Schoolmate and Friend, La Crescenta, California
Visit my Memorial to Lee
Richard Galloway, Schoolmate and Friend, La Crescenta, California
Visit Memorial to Andrew
G. "Andy" Kirchmayer, Capt., US ARMY
Visit Memorial to Steven
Golsh, 101st Airborne Division
KIA Ashau Valley, South Vietnam 21 March 1970
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