MS Seabees Who Fought in Vietnam to be Honored in Ocean Springs

Mississippi Seabees that served in the Vietnam War will be honored Saturday, March 7th at a monument dedication ceremony in Ocean Springs.

When WWII veteran, Richard Wade, decided to enlist in the military 71 years ago at age 16, he was just one year short of being able to enlist, but he was determined. Wade says, "So I got my birth certificate, went down to the local drug store, got me a gum eraser, and 1928 was erased and 1927 was put in, so now I was 17, eligible to enlist, and so I did."

He served our nation during the Vietnam War along with his friend, Al Synoweiz, who recalls his most memorable moment serving our country. Synowiez says, "We worked on the high school, building that for the students, children that were there, and a number of them came out to help and mix concrete, carried bricks and so on."

Saturday in Ocean Springs, a monument will be dedicated to all the Seabees from Mississippi who served in the Vietnam War. Wade also says, "It means a great deal. A lot of my buddies went over there and some of them did not come home. It means a lot to us."

Each inscription on the side of the monument represents the naval mobile construction battalions from Gulfport that served in Vietnam. Jerry Nicolls remembers his time serving with Batallion 133. Nicolls says, "I joined them just as they were starting to come back and trickle in and I went out to meet them and help them unpack and get them back here back in the states and they were really glad to be back."

Veterans hope this monument will live on as a solid reminder of the sacrifices that were made for the freedoms current and future generations enjoy. Synowiez also says, "It will be here and it will remind them that we have been here, and we are part of Mississippi and always will be." The ceremony will last a few hours, but the meaning behind the monument will live on for years. Nicolls closes, "It just represents the sacrifices they had to make that they made for our freedom for our country."

The dedication ceremony starts at 10 a.m. at the Ocean Springs Vietnam Memorial.