Rick Eggburtus Medaris
Staff Sergeant
155TH AHC, 10TH AVN BN, 17TH AVN GROUP, 1ST AVIATION BDE, USARV
Army of the United States
Jenison, Michigan
March 01, 1949 to November 04, 1969
RICK E MEDARIS is on the Wall at Panel W16, Line 31

armycrew.gif
 
ndvsvc.gif
 
Rick E Medaris
17avngrp.gif ABN-10THAVNBN.png 155thahc.gif

 
19 Aug 2003

"To live in the hearts we leave behind,
is never to have died."
(Thomas Campbell, circa 1888)

My grandpa Harry Medaris, Rick's father, is still living (76).
Rick lives in his heart, and in ours too.

From his niece,
Christy Borgeld
bbunch0701@sbcglobal.net


 
11 Sep 2003

Find the cost of freedom buried in the ground,
Mother Earth will swallow you,
Lay your body down
KEC 09-11-03

E-mail address is not available.


 
20 Nov 2005

I was a high school student the day SSG Medaris went missing. I happened to get a MIA bracelet with Medaris' name on it. Coincidentially the date he went missing was only a week from my birthday. I had put the bracelet in a box a long time ago and hadn't looked at it in a while.

My family was watching an episode of "Cold Case" on TV when the theme was about POW's in Vietnam. My wife asked me if I still had the MIA bracelet. That's when I looked up Medaris's name on the internet and discovered this web site.

I am glad that at least he was found in order to give some closure to his family.

Dan Chepeska
chepesd1@sbcglobal.net


 
03 Jul 2006

Both Rick and I were the same age and grew up in the same Wyoming, Michigan neighborhood and attended Godwin Heights High School.

I remember that he lived on the south side of 36th, on Dunbar Street I think. We were high school classmates and really just only acquainted other than a minor altercation years earlier with my older brother John while we were walking to the old World War I unfinished picric acid plant.

I went into the army in June, 1968 and completed basic training at Fort Knox, Kentucky. At the end of basic, I got orders for AIT at Fort Polk, LA.

Just before leaving, I remember going with a few friends down to the barracks where the new guys were coming in to see if there was anyone we would know. Rick was there. I hadn't seen him since high school. We talked a bit. Both of us enjoyed seeing each other, just because we knew each other and had come from the same place. I think it gave us both some small measure of comfort.

I spent 14 months assigned to a MACV Advisory Team in the South Vietnam central highlands. After I got out in January 1970, I read that Rick had gone MIA in November. I thought about that last conversation we had. Some years later, he was confirmed KIA.

I attended a couple of Godwin Heights High School class of 67 re-unions, the 5th and 20th. There weren't very many graduates in that class who had gone to Vietnam. No one seemed to want to talk about the war or the loss of Rick.

I still think about Rick a couple times year, usually around Veteran's day or the 4th of July. I didn't know him very well, but I'll never forget him, our last meeting - and his sacrifice.

Respectfully,
Mike Magnan
mmagnan@aol.com


 
30 Nov 2006

Muggs, my friend. My, how the years have passed. As I recall you had a girlfriend in Michigan and we probably talked about cars. I have been a long time in making this contact, and had often thought of calling your folks. But time has lost most of my memory of VN. It was not until Steve Thompson returned home that I heard of your crash. I was deeply saddened to hear of the loss of my room mate. See you in the light of our Lord. John

John W. Pearce
Salina, Kansas 67401
johnpearce@cox.net


 
11 Mar 2007

My name is Deborah, I have worn Rick's MIA-POW bracelet since 1971 and still do to this day. Even though Rick died at age 20, his spirit has been lots of places with me. He has been to all my family functions and when I was single he visited a lot of bars and he did a lot of dancing. He has been on cruises and visited Europe, Hawaii, and all over the U.S. with a bunch of friends. I am so grateful and proud of the sacrifice he made so that I had the opportunity to watch my boy grow up.

He must be proud of his family for arranging this place so people that cared for him can share stories. I now have a 'sense' of the person behind this 'name' I have carried with me for the past 36 years. When I read this site I cried, some tears sad, but most tears happy. Rick has family and friends who love him and no matter how long we live, that is the one thing that matters most.

Deborah Manna
scriobh21@juno.com


 
14 Aug 2007

As our 40th Class reunion of Godwin High School, Wyoming, Michigan approaches, you come to our minds again Rick. Thank you for your service, and your sacrifice. You are missed.

John Bloomquist
Veteran Representative
AZ State DES Job Service
wjb004@hotmail.com


 

A Note from The Virtual Wall

Seven men died when a UH-1H (hull number 68-16057) belonging to the 192nd Assault Helicopter Company went down on 04 Nov 1969 during a routine administrative flight from Ninh Hoa to the 155th Avn Co (AHC) located at Ban Me Thout, RVN: The crash site was located on 09 Jul 1973 and the remains of all seven men were recovered.

Contact Us © Copyright 1997-2019 www.VirtualWall.org, Ltd ®(TM) Last update 08/15/2019