30 May 2005 This is in remembrance of my brother, Allan. He left a young bride and had just found out he was going to be a dad. His daughter just got married last year. I believe he was the thirteenth, and last, Vermonter to die in Vietnam. He was crew chief of his helicopter when it crashed in Bien Hoa. If anyone knew him over there (or here) please contact me. He is still always in my thoughts. Sue Wilkins Gorsch sgorsch@hotmail.com

 

01 Aug 2005 I was a little kid in Philly, just about 9-10 years old, and had an immense crush on a beautiful little blonde-haired girl of the same age who was going to school with me at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel by the name of Linda Wodarczyk. Her dad was the same Matt J. Wodarczyk who went down as the co-pilot here with Allan Wilkins, and his death was the first and only from Vietnam that even came close to directly affecting me. I still remember to this day going to the funeral at the Murphy-Ruffenach Funeral Home at 3rd & Wolf Streets in Philly (still there to this day) and seeing little Linda. She seemed like an angel, like there was a glow all around her. Perhaps it was her dad protecting her. Perhaps it is just 33 years and a glorified memory. Whatever the case, a short time after her dad's death, I would guess at the end of that school year, the family moved away from their home on St. Christopher Drive. I never saw or heard from her again, but she has never left my mind for some reason. All grown up, I am a police supervisor here in Philly. As a cop, one of my patrol areas included 2nd & Spruce, the site of the Philadelphia Vietnam Veteran's Memorial. When I realized it was there, I checked for the name to see if it was engraved, and there it was... Matt J. Wodarczyk. I always gave special patrol protection to that Memorial while assigned to that area. Thank you to everyone who fought and served in a most worthy cause, the Vietnam War. Especially to those men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice on behalf of their country and freedom in general, men like Matt J. Wodarczyk and Allan Wilkins. And if anyone ever runs across a daughter of Matt's by the name of Linda, or knows anything of her, pass along a hello from her childhood. Amazing thing is that she probably has no recollection of me whatsoever. I mean, we were 10 years old. From a friend, Matt Veasey Philadelphia, Pa veaseymj@aol.com

 

A Note from The Virtual Wall On 08 Apr 1971 four men from the 358th Aviation Detachment died in the crash of their UH-1H (tail number 68-15763) in Bien Hoa Province, SVN: CWO Thomas L. Sonderman, Derby, KS, pilot; CWO Matt J. Wodarczyk, Philadelphia, PA, copilot; SP4 Dennis R. Deatherage, Fort Worth, TX, gunner; and SP4 Allan F. Wilkins, Dorset, VT, crew chief. SP4 Wilkins was neither the first nor last Vermonter to die in Vietnam, nor was he the thirteenth. Regretably, an even 100 men who claimed Vermont as their Home of Record died in the war. The first was Master Sergeant Rollin C. Sargent of Johnson, who was killed in action on 22 Oct 1964 while serving with Advisory Team 40; the last was 1stLt John H. Haselton of Newport, who died on 11 May 1972 when his O-2A (tail number 68-11004) was shot down in Binh Long Province. SP4 Wilkins was 96th on Vermont's roster of lost sons.

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