Joe Hopper thought about his "guys" as he sat by himself during King's Memorial Day service Sunday afternoon.
They were Marines and, like Hopper, were serving in Vietnam in January 1968 when they encountered a fierce assault from enemy troops near the line dividing North and South Vietnam.
A lot of them didn't come back alive.
"One guy got shot in the head and was begging me to shoot him, but I couldn't kill another Marine and place myself above God," Hopper said. "We lost a lot of guys. I went to the Wall in Washington, D.C., and saw all their names in one spot. It tore me up."
About 100 people turned out for the ceremony at Veteran's Memorial in King's Central Park. Some sought the shade around the perimeter of the memorial, and others sat in the sun or under awnings.
Bill Guraleczka, a chief petty officer with the Navy, read off name after name of people from Stokes County who had died in the armed forces. He said before the service that their sacrifices were foremost in his mind that day.
"This is what it is about," he said. "This is why we are what we are."
Veteran Bill Prince said he's bothered when kids see his service hat and ask, " 'What fire department are you in?'
"The young people don't know anything about it," Prince said.
The complaint was echoed by Calvin Davis, another veteran, who sat nearby.
"I just wish more people would understand what we did for them," Davis said. Although the thermometer was pushing 90 degrees, Davis was thinking about how cold it was in Korea, where he fought.
"It brings memories back," he said. "We were in a cold war with no winter clothes. I'm originally from Vermont, and I thought it was cold there."
Not all young people got knocks from those in attendance. People praised the Boy Scouts who helped out with the service, and praised other young people they had heard about who were putting flags on graves.
Wayne and Diana Mabe of Kernersville hadn't planned to go to the ceremony on Sunday. They went out to look at memorial stones honoring family members, and stumbled on the service. It seemed right to stay.
"We probably stayed after most people had left, looking at all the names," Mabe said. "You can't help but think about what they sacrificed."
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