THE WALL OF FACES

Dean is buried at Larkin Sunset Gardens Cemetery, Sandy, Salt Lake City, UT.

Dean was my husband. We had one son together and were anxiously awaiting his return when we received the news that he had paid the ultimate price in service to our country.

Dean William Hardman sounds to me like an extrodinary person. I never knew him or ever heard about him until i had to do a project for my history class and from what i've read he wasn't in service for very long but for the amount of time he was in service he did an outstanding job. And i'd like to say thank you to him because if it weren't for him who knows what kind of world i'd be living in today.

Dean was a great kid and always full of suprises. He made the ultimate sacrifice for us. Gone but not forgotten.

I will always remember Willie. On his first day to the field, we were in contact with the enemy. I remember turning around and seeing his face. We were all young, but Willie seemed younger than the rest of us. His eyes were so wide, not from fear, but from the wonderment of being in combat for the first time. I soon learned to respect him not only for his readiness to be a part of the platoon, but for his courage and bravery that he exhibited on many occasions. He was truly the epitome of what the American soldier has done through history to demonstrate the spirit of the American people. He loved his family very, very much and wanted more than anything to return to them. When I left Viet Nam on August 23, 1970 he was the last person in my company that I talked to. He was concerned about serving under another squad leader and I told him that Nam was a progression that kept changing personnel and he would be o.k. I can say that for all the combat that Willie and I saw, he without a doubt was one of the bravest men that I served with. His death was a tragedy that was repeated thousands of times in this war. He touched my soul and I can still remember looking back as the jeep left on August 23, 1970 and seeing Willie standing there. It was like leaving a brother and I will never forget him.
Sergeant Don Lytle, 1st Battalion, 5th Infantry, 25th Division