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Mike Engler's widow believes his lung cancer caused by Agent Orange. His service noted at Wall
By Jim Carney
Beacon Journal staff writer
Published on Tuesday, Apr 21, 2009
Mike Engler's name will never be etched into the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington, D.C.
But even though Engler, an Akron native, was not killed in Vietnam, his wife says he died in 2006 because of exposure to the defoliant Agent Orange during his three-month tour of duty in 1967.
On Monday, Engler and 122 other veterans were honored at the Wall in Washington, D.C., as part of In Memory Day activities.
''I consider what Mike died of as friendly fire,'' said his widow, Mary Jane Engler, of Deersville, in Harrison County.
She said she would like to see a special memorial erected for those like her husband, who died from noncombat injuries and emotional suffering from their Vietnam experiences.
More than 1,800 people have been honored over the course of the 11 years In Memory Day has been held.
Engler, who was 58 when he died three years ago, was a 1966 graduate of St. Vincent High School in Akron.
As an Army draftee, he served three months in Vietnam before he suffered a shrapnel wound. He received a Purple Heart for his injuries.
Mary Jane Engler thinks there should be a ''friendly fire'' memorial and it should be ''something beautiful to represent their service to our country.''
''The friendliest fire I can think of is a campfire,'' she said. ''I can picture soldiers from all wars seated around the fire, talking, reading letters from home, just enjoying the moment.''
Mike Engler contracted what his wife said was Agent Orange-related lung cancer in the mid- to late 1980s. It cancer came back in 2000.
Many of Engler's family members, including his father, Jerome, 94, and brothers and sister Steve, Jerry and Marianne Engler, still live in Akron.
''I know the government did not kill my husband on purpose,'' Mary Jane Engler said. ''They used the defoliant so that our soldiers could see the enemy at the time, and at that time, this Agent Orange was saving a lot of lives.''
Now, she said, ''it seems it is taking some'' and ''my husband was one of those.''
She and her husband ran a photo business in Deersville.
According to a news release from the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, In Memory Day was established to pay tribute to the men and women who died prematurely from noncombat injuries and emotional suffering caused directly by the Vietnam War, but are not eligible to have their names inscribed on the memorial.
''In Memory Day allows the Wall to do what it does best: Provide a healing environment for family members and friends,'' said Jan C. Scruggs, founder and president of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund. ''It allows all of us to pay tribute to these brave Americans who served and sacrificed for their country.''
Five other Ohioans were honored in the ceremony: Gerald Carl Spath of Cincinnati; Philip David Badger Jr., of Columbus; Paul Maywood Riddlebarger of Dayton; Ralph Richard Saum of Junction City; and Lawrence Edward Evans of Sandusky.
''I think this will be a long haul,'' Mary Jane Engler said of the work ahead to push for a memorial to her husband and the others honored at In Memory Day.
Mike Engler believed in America's call to encourage freedom and democracy around the world, Mary Jane said.
''He was truly disappointed that we chose not to finish our stand in Vietnam,'' she said. But at the same time, ''he was encouraged by all the purple fingers [signifying voters in a peaceful election] in Iraq.''
Jim Carney can be reached at 330-996-3576 or jcarney@thebeaconjournal.com.
Get the full article here.
Comments
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rootstown, oh
Posted 03:06 AM, 04/21/2009
vietnam has been a constant reminder of what can happen when the government makes bad decisions.the veterans of that war have been treated as criminals ever since.seeing "the wall was a very moving experience for me.i can't imagine how a veteran would feel.all i can say is thank you for your service.
Posted 08:56 AM, 04/21/2009
i too feel as though i'm dying from agent orange. my breathing gets worse every year and it's all i can do to climb a set of steps or walk any distance.i spent a year in viet nam and have been told that where i was (phouc vinh 40 miles north of saigon) was the area that agent orange was mostly used. it's a national shame what the gov't is covering up.
Akron, Oh
Posted 03:31 AM, 04/22/2009
@Engler, Spath, Badger, Riddlebarger, Saum, Evans,
Thanks for serving. We'll see you on the other side.
Don, Thanks for serving, welcome home!!
akron, oh
Posted 06:27 PM, 04/27/2009
50 thousand plus were killed in vietnam, but hundreds of thousands have died since, directly or indirectly from their vietnam service.
i served in vietnam in 68-69, and ive watched many brother vets die prematurely. including brother Pat Moore who just died a month or so ago.
i, along with alot of other vietnam vets, wonder when my time is going to come. as the va continues to deny our claims, and then procrastinate with our appeals for years in hopes that we will die before our claim is approved.
Mike was a great person, filled with energy and life, and now he is gone. i went to school with mike, where ever he was, he would light up the world. its good to recognize him in this way.
but his name, along with countless others should be on the wall too. as vietnam continues to kill our young men.
