THE WALL OF FACES

From the Ozona Stockman Newspaper, November 28, 1968:

"Flags in Ozona have flown at half-mast since Friday when word was received that Sgt. Gary Pagan, son of Mr. and Mrs. J. A. Pagan, had been killed in action in the Republic of Vietnam, the first war casualty from Crockett County since World War II.

A spokesman from the Department of the Army arrived at the Pagan home Friday morning with the news that their son had been felled by an enemy bullet just five weeks before he was due to return home. A telegram from the Department arrived shortly afterwards confirming the fact that young Pagan had been killed by small arms fire during hostile action at 8:30 a.m. on November 20.

Sgt. Gary Pagan, 22, was a squadron leader with the 101st Airborne Division. (3-506th Infantry, Currahees) He took his basic training at Ft. Benning, Georgia, after being drafted in February of 1967. He stayed at Ft. Benning as drill corporal until his transfer to Vietnam eleven months ago, where he was recently promoted to the rank of Sergeant.

Gary was born September 9, 1946, in Big Spring. He attended school in Garden City until moving to Ozona with his family in 1964. He remained in Garden City through footbal season his senior year, when the team of six-man football won every game they played. Gary joined his family here after his successful football season and attended Ozona High School, graduating with the Class of 1965. An outstanding basketball player, he was not eligible to play his last year in high school because of the residence rule. However, he was one of the brightest stars on Coach Chick Womack's 1965 Championship team and one of the track captains. He participated in the relays, broad jump, hurdles and discus events, but set records everywhere he went in the shot put. He placed second in the state meet that year, beat out of first place by only one-half inch.

Services are pending at Janes Funeral Home. The body will be accompanied by Lucio Mendez, Jr., another Ozona boy, who went through training with Pagan and shipped out to Vietnam the same time. He is the son of Lucio Mendez, Sr. of Ozona.

Survivors include his parents; four brothers, James, Rodney, David and Steve Pagan; his grandmother Mrs. M. C. Millhollon of Snyder, and numerous aunts and uncles."

He is buried in Cedar Hill Cemetery, Ozona, Texas. God rest your soul, Currahee!

I am a senior at Gridley High School in Gridley, IL and I am posting remembrances for a class. I just wanted to say thank you for the great courage you showed fighting for our nation. We are so blessed to live in a land where men and women are willing to fight for what is right. Freedom never comes without a cost. Your sacrifice to all U.S. citizens will never be forgotten!