Alva, one of my classmates, joined the class of 1966 for his senior year at Portland High School in Portland, Indiana. I can't remember what brought him to our class, but he came from Columbus, Ohio. You will not even find his picture or name in the index of The Typhoon, our yearbook. Our class lost two members to the Vietnam War and we have remembered them on our class website. After graduation we went off to college, a job, or the war. Returing veterans came home with little recognition. Our war dead are little remembered except by family or friends. On November 8, 2002 I had a unique opportunity to remember the sacrifice Alva made for the United States of America and the cause of freedom around the world. I was honored to fly a Vietnam veteran UH-1 Huey helicopter on a flight celebrating the soldiers of that war, the journey their families and friends travel as they cope with grief and loss. Our class yearbook, The Typhoon, was tucked under my seat to remember those times and our loss of Alva. His name or picture may not be in the book, but his memory is in this soldier's mind and heart. A note from The Virtual Wall Alva Dean Henthorn, husband of Deborrah Allen Henthorn, is buried in the Saint Joseph Cemetery, Columbus, Ohio.

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Last update 08/15/2019.