Norris High’s only fallen Vietnam veteran is remembered at Hickman American Legion ceremony

HICKMAN, Neb. (KLKN) – Lieutenant Ralph Lee Church was killed in Vietnam in 1971 and on Tuesday, he was remembered in the Nebraska city where he was born.

The remembrance ceremony was held at the American Legion location of Hickman and guests included fellow veteran and author, Reynel Martinez.

Martinez served in a six-man unit with Church while deployed to Vietnam and described Church to Channel 8 on Tuesday.

“He was just an exemplary human being. He would help everybody. New guys come into the unit, he would help them with their gear, put that gear up. He just, he was a kind of good-hearted human being,” said Martinez.

Martinez was later asked by his sergeant major to write a book about his team in service.

At first reluctant, Martinez began to revisit his wartime experiences and then published the novel, “Six Silent Men,” in 1997.

“What I did is, I interviewed a lot of a lot of the members that were with the long-range recon patrol, and I knew the missions that I had been on and got information on their missions and wrote the book,” he said.

He says the process brought back memories of Church.

“Never, he didn’t smoke, he didn’t drink, in those times you come out of a mission and just to get the anxiety out, you drank and did stuff, you know, but he wouldn’t do none of that,” said Martinez.

Fellow veteran Derby Jones, who was also on their team, spoke to Channel 8 at the ceremony as well.

He said the bond the men formed was unimaginable by those who weren’t there.

Jones described one cold night, waiting for rescue and only having each other.

“He was about six foot three, six foot four, something like that, and he was the biggest one, so everybody wanted to huddle around him because of the body heat, you know, and then we lay around there and tell jokes and stuff and laugh just to make the night go by,” said Jones.

Nearly 70 years later, Jones said, “I’d do it again if I could do it with the same people because the same people watched my back, took care of me and I took care of them.”

He went on to say, “This country is divided right now, and they really need to shake hands and get together.”

A sentiment that he says Lt. Church did.

“I hope his son has the same morals that his dad had,” said Jones.

Church’s son, Cannon Church was born after his father’s death and was also at the ceremony.

Cannon says he was looking forward to coming to the event to hear more about his father’s memory, just like he has from his mother.

“What she did do and what she did continuously [is] reiterate, and instill in me, was just his belief that what he was doing right in his service to the country was going to be good for the long term for everyone,” said Church Jr.

Adding, “It’s always a positive experience to hear about the impact that he had on those men, and I mean proof of that is tonight, that several of the men that served with him on that team came from across the country to be here.”

On Veteran’s Day Wednesday, Norris High will be re-dedicating their building to Church.