THE WALL OF FACES

Ricky, Ken Chipley and I were a crew. Hung together until high school graduation. I tried college for a semester but ended up enlisting in the Navy in 1966. In the service, you're entitled to your home town newspaper... in my case it was the Arcadia Tribune. When I learned of Ricky's passing I was devastated. So many emotions.... so many memories. I visited the traveling wall in Temple City some years ago and couldn't even bring myself to talk to one of the aides trying to help me out. Ricky was a dear dear friend whom I will never forget. Love you ole buddy.

Today is Memorial Day and our Asian Wars Veteran speaker recommended we look up someone we knew that died for our freedom. And in that search I found you Dear Ricky. We very innocently dated probably in our sophomore year of high school. After HS, I knew you went to Viet Nam and were killed. When I went to Wash DC in 1989 I went to the VN Memorial and found your name and I was so deeply touched with emotion. My teenage kids recognized and acknowledged that emotion. Thank you for your honorable sacrifice. I do think of you often. Love, Linda

A butterfly lights beside us like a sunbeam
And for a brief moment its glory
and beauty belong to our world
But then it flies again
And though we wish it could have stayed...
We feel lucky to have seen it.

Served in NAM saw him right before we went in read his name
On a casualty report sad
See you in Valhalla

Rich was an HS friend...my mother and I kept his surfboard for years. His father fought in WWII and figured it would be best for him (in those days it was said that a boy would be cone a man at war) ... His father kept a USA flag out for him as long as he lived there.