Deceased veteran from Stacyville
will be honored at ISUby Warren Haacke
According to his brother Gervin, the late Bruce Halbach was just a "young farm kid trying to find his niche".
Halbach, the son of the late Ron and Hildegarde of Stacyville, died on November 19, 1970 while serving his country in Vietnam.
Iowa State University is honoring former students who perished in the Vietnam War. Halbach's name will be engraved in Gold Star Hall in the Memorial Union at Iowa State University. The ceremony to honor the former Iowa State students will be held Tuesday, November 11 at the Memorial Union at approximately 2:30 p.m. Family members and friends are welcome.
Bruce Halbach, born October 4, 1949, was a Stacyville resident who graduated from Marian High School in Stacyville in 1967. He then attended Iowa State University for one year before returning home to work at the Stacyville Cooperative Elevator.
"College just wasn't for Bruce at the time," said brother Gervin. "He came back home to work and sort some things out before deciding what to do."
Gervin continued, "I suggested that he enlist in something like the Air Force so he would have more options in the military, but he chose not to."
Halbach eventually was drafted and left for the U.S. Army in 1969. He was trained in tank warfare and reached the rank of Sergeant.
"Bruce was very smart and the Army moved those kind of people up the ranks very quickly in the days of Vietnam," said Gervin.
Halbach eventually got his orders to report for duty in Vietnam and left for that assignment on June 1, 1970.
"When I took him to his flight at the airport, I had this eerie feeling that he wouldn't be coming back," Gervin said.
While in Vietnam, Halbach, 21, was switched to helicopter duty as an observer.
While out on a helicopter reconnaissance mission on November 19, 1970 in Thua Thien, South Vietnam, Sgt. Halbach and pilot Franklin Hamm were killed when enemy fire downed their helicopter, causing it to crash and burn. Halbach and Hamm were members of C Company, 2/17 Calvary Unit.
Halbach's body was recovered and was returned by military escort to the North Iowa area where members from the local American Legion escorted the body back to Stacyville for the military funeral which was held on December 4, 1970.
Halbach was survived in 1970 by his parents, four brothers, Gervin, Neil, Floyd and Kent and five sisters, Janice, Rosanne, Joanne, Marilyn and Julie.
Gervin remembers his brother Bruce as a farm boy who was very laid back in his attitude. Bruce played basketball and ran track while in high school and kept busy on the farm.
"Even though I told him to enlist like I and my brother did, he wasn't upset when he got drafted," said Gervin. "He just figured he had a duty to serve."
Gervin had enlisted in the Marines in 1963 and served in Vietnam from 1965-66.
"It was a little different for me," said Gervin. "I enlisted with a couple of buddies and our unit pretty served together when we were sent to Vietnam."
Gervin worked in communications while in Vietnam. "I kind of saw Vietnam as an adventure and a duty. It was different for Bruce. He didn't have the "buddy system" because of being drafted and then he got switched in his duties once he got to Vietnam."
Gervin doesn't regret having served in Vietnam and he was sure Bruce didn't either.
"I felt it was great to serve in Vietnam, but I was glad when I got back home," said Gervin. " I will admit that after Bruce was killed I questioned for awhile what I had really accomplished over there."
Gervin continued, "Our family and the community took Bruce's death pretty hard, but we were a generation that learned to bury our dead and move on. We still think about Bruce from time to time, which is natural since he was our brother. But then you realize that it's been over 35 years since his death and you learn to move on."
"I was a little emotional when asked about Bruce because it brought back some past memories. But I think it's wonderful that Iowa State is honoring their former students that gave their lives in Vietnam. It's a nice tribute to their lives and service to their country."
SOURCE: Warren Haacke, Mitchell County Press-News, April 29, 2008