DERUYTER – Located among the rolling hills and forests just northwest of Chenango County and east of DeRuyter on Mariposa Road, rests a Hughes UH-1 helicopter.
And it’s not alone, as this particular “Huey chopper” – known historically for its role as a gunship or to provide rocket artillery during the Vietnam War – stands surrounded by various other memorials dedicated to the United States military, as well as the victims, police officers, firemen and emergency service personnel who lost their lives on Sept. 11, 2001.
Every branch of the military is represented, according to Vietnam veteran Bill Middleton, who – along with wife Gloria – created the memorial site. The helicopter, donated by the U.S. government, stands on a small piece of property leased to the DeRuyter American Legion, post 834.
“It’s a testament to the bravery of our soldiers,” said Middleton of the memorial, which he and his wife maintain. “We didn’t know what else to do with [the property]. I do all the groundwork myself.”
The site is also a reminder of the cost of war, which Middleton knows all too well. Drafted on Dec. 7, 1954, he was a member of the United States Army’s 1st Calvary Division in 1965. In November of that year, U.S. troops – including Middleton – took part in the first major battle between American soldiers and the North Vietnamese Army in the Ia Drang Valley of South Vietnam.
Those four days of combat have been well documented over the years, particularly in retired Lt. Gen. Harold G. Moore and war journalist Joseph L. Galloway’s New York Times best-selling book “We Were Soldiers Once ... and Young,” and later in the film adaptation of the book, “We Were Soldiers.” Starring Mel Gibson as Moore, Sam Elliot as Sgt. Maj. Basil L. Plumley and Barry Pepper as Joe Galloway, the film details the Battle of Ia Drang, in which nearly 250 U.S. soldiers were killed, with well over 400 wounded.
Middleton, who lives next door to the memorial he’s put so much time and effort into, is one of those who was lucky enough to survive the battle. And the UH-1 helicopter that is the centerpiece of his memorial isn’t the only reminder of the Ia Drang Valley on display. Inside the chopper is a small memorial dedicated to pilot and Cpt. Ed “Too Tall” Freeman, portrayed by actor Mark McCracken in “We Were Soldiers.”
Yet those who fought and died in the Battle of Ia Drang aren’t the only ones memorialized at Middleton’s inspirational site. A silver plaque – surrounded by over a dozen flags representing the U.S. Air Force, Marine Corps, Army, Navy and Coast Guard – reads, “In honor of all men and women, past and present, who served in the United States military from 1775 until present.” It goes on to say, “Also to the ones who died on 17 Nov. 1965 from ACO 1st BN 5th CAV. in the Ia Drang Valley, South Vietnam.”
Retired Army Maj. John Ready, who has visited the site, called the memorial “something to see” and “very moving,” according to Middleton. And Ready isn’t the only one who feels that way, he added. Hundreds have stopped by Middleton’s memorial to pay their respects, take a few pictures or chat with the Vietnam veteran, from local residents to out-of-state visitors, as well as some from even further abroad. Most, he said, find the peaceful site both inspiring and emotional.
As for Middleton, his service to his country, in addition to the creation of the memorial site, is just the tip of the iceberg. He has one stepson currently serving with the United States Marine Corps, two others with the U.S. Army and a grandson who recently returned from a second tour in Afghanistan. Another grandson, he added, recently returned from Iraq.
It is, said the Vietnam veteran, a reminder that freedom isn’t free, and those who fight for that freedom deserve to be remembered.