Area veterans and their guests were honored at the annual Veterans Day dinner at the Angus Eng American Legion in Saratoga Saturday night. Those in attendance enjoyed an excellent dinner, prepared by the Legion staff, shared in reflections and remembrance over the course of the evening.
One poignant moment came when Legionnaire Don Ainsworth shared memories of boyhood friend Darwin Judge USMC. Judge and his fellow Marine, Charles McMahon, were the last two American casualties of the Vietnam War, killed in action on 29 April 1975. The United States evacuated Saigon the next day. Darwin Judge and Charles McMahon were members of the Marine Security Battalion at the Embassy. On that day they were assigned to a security team at Tan Son Shut airport and died in a rocket attack. McMahon, 22, and Judge, 19, had arrived in the country approximately 30 days prior. Mr. Ainsworth served in the U.S. Army, and was not in Vietnam at the same time as Lance Corporal Judge, but the two had been best friends in Marshalltown Iowa before they entered the service. His comments served as a reminder that “All gave some, some gave all”, from the beginning of a conflict to the end of the war.
In addition to the dinner at the American Legion, veterans were recognized in programs at schools in Encampment and Saratoga. The Saratoga Sun joins the communities of the Platte River Valley, and the nation, to thank all of the men and women who have served in the Army, Navy, Marines, Coast Guard, Air Force and Space Force.
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