THE WALL OF FACES

WO Ralph O Daugherty is resting at Dawn Memorial Park, Dekalb County, Decatur, GA

Ralph it has been 47 years since that night. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't think about that day.

On October 17, 1968, passenger SP5 James P. Mason, pilot WO1 Ralph O. Daugherty, and observers LCPL Dan R. Moore and SGT Robert D. Ashman were flying onboard an OH-6A aircraft, tail number 67-16224, on a support mission off the coast of South Vietnam. The helicopter had landed on the USS Eversole to pick up SP5 Mason to return him to his unit. At 1925 hours, the OH6 took off for unknown reasons, and crashed 500 meters from the USS Eversole. Rescue efforts began immediately, recovering SGT Ashman and LCPL Moore. Ashman and one of the rescuers reported seeing a third man in the water prior to his rescue. Extensive searches failed to locate Mason, but on October 28 the body of WO1 Daugherty was found on the beach in the vicinity some 13 kilometers from the crash site. Mason was never found, nor was any information learned pertaining to him or his fate. [Taken from pownetwork.org]

You will forever be in my heart and on my mind. I think of you everyday and often find myself imagining what our lives would be like now if you were still here. I will never forget staying up all night laughing and talking about growing up together just before you left for Vietnam. Or dinner at the Fairmont in San Francisco, and you sent Sallie a dozen roses from their gift shop. You told Ray and I that you felt you were not going to come home alive and we all decided it was fear that was talking. I was the last one to see you alive before you left for Vietnam and I have a piece of my soul missing! I will always love you! We were always more than cousins.........

Ralph Olen was my cousin, he passed away on my birthday when I was only 10 years old. I am now 55 and through the years and to this day, his passing remains a deep hearted pain to all who knew and loved him. At age 16, my daughter wrote a poem that should be and is for all those who gave their lives for our country, including Ralph Olen. It reads as follows:

Remembrance
For many year we have cried
For all the Veterans that have died
For all the people who have served
To fight for our freedom that we deserve
For Americans who stand tall
The only ones who didn't fall
For feelings deep inside
For emotions that we cannot hide
For when we are uneasy or not sure
Remembrance is the cure.