Nephew honors Sgt. Leroy Draby, killed in Vietnam

Editor’s Note: Several holidays exist to honor our veterans and active duty military personnel, Veterans Day on Nov. 11, and Armed Forces Day, May 17. But, Memorial Day is set aside to remember those who gave the ultimate sacrifice for our nation. In today’s article, we remember Sgt. Leroy Draby of Free Soil who died in Vietnam in 1967. 

By Rob Alway, Editor-in-Chief

RIVERTON TOWNSHIP — More than four decades after U.S. Army Sgt. Leroy Junior Draby was killed in Vietnam, his memory and the sacrifices of his family continue to live on through a deeply personal shadow box created by his nephew, Kevin Kimes of Riverton Township.

The display, titled “Safe Keeping,” was assembled in honor of Draby and his brothers, Lee Kimes and Ralph Draby, all of whom served in the military.

“It is put together in remembrance of Grandma’s three sons, all who served our country,” Kimes wrote in an accompanying essay. “One of which gave the ultimate sacrifice on the Province of Hua Nghia, South Vietnam on Sept. 8, 1967.”

Draby, born April 19, 1947, was the son of Andrew Draby and Mary Jane Poston Draby. Raised in Free Soil, he served as a sergeant with Company B, 1st Battalion, 27th Infantry. He died Sept. 8, 1967, in Hua Nghia Province, South Vietnam, at age 20.

Draby served in the U.S. Army under Selective Service and held the military occupational specialty of 11B20 infantryman.

The 1st Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment was known as the “Wolfhounds,” part of the 25th Infantry Division, which conducted heavy combat operations northwest of Saigon during 1967. Hậu Nghĩa Province was a particularly dangerous area because of strong Viet Cong activity and its proximity to Cambodia and the approaches to Saigon.

The shadow box contains personal artifacts connected to Draby and his family, including his Army beret, cigarette lighter, military ring, dog tags and photographs. Kimes said every item was chosen intentionally to tell part of the family’s story.

“The cigarette lighter was Leroy’s and was one of the few possessions on him at the time of his death,” Kimes wrote. “It was returned to family and ultimately Uncle Ralph.”

One of the most meaningful items is a worn photograph of Draby carried for years by his grieving brother Ralph.

“On the back of this tattered picture is the handwritten phrase, ‘I’m combat ready,’” Kimes wrote. “The agedness is due to the fact his grieving brother carried it with him the rest of his life.”

Kimes said the display also contains deeply symbolic elements, including shell casings from Ralph Draby’s military funeral in 2010 and flowers given to his daughters through a school program honoring veterans.

“The flowers stand for peace and healing, as well as the importance of education and teaching our children freedom comes with a cost,” he wrote.

Hidden within the folds of the display are copies of the Western Union telegram informing the family of Leroy Draby’s death, along with documents detailing the Purple Heart and Bronze Star he earned.

“These important documents, which initially can’t be noticed, serve as reminders there is much more than what meets the eye, as wounds from serving are often held deeply within and unable to be seen from the outside,” Kimes wrote.

For Kimes, the shadow box is more than a memorial. It is a way to preserve the legacy of the men in his family and the values they represented.

“It is my hope this box will provide a glimpse into the hearts and souls of good men made of courage, humility, integrity, compassion and sacrifice,” he wrote. “It is also my hope the legacy of these three men will live on far longer than I am here.”

Draby, who attended Mason County Central School District, is also honored at the high school where his photograph hangs on the wall just outside the school office.

 

Honor Roll of Mason County residents those who have died in service to our country

 

Civil War

Charles F. Stewart

World War I

John Benjamin Adams

Frank F. Allen

John Albert Anderson

Fredric C. Bertelsen

John F. Borski

Russel C. Bozell

Louis Brozzo

Eric Carlson

Gordon Chadwick

Carl Christensen

Alvia R. Drabenstopt

Dezerei A. Duplessis

Edwin Harold Ewing

Anton Frye

Edwin Glynn

August Gorski

Joseph Hall

John Hanson

Milburn Hawkes

Floyd James Harington

R. D. Keith

Casmer Leveaux

Emery Leveaux

Walter Loxen

Frank Lukaszewicz

Joe Maluky

Joseph F. Maluski

Isadore Meyette

Marion Michael

Otto Minew

William E. Nielson

Francis Joseph Odean

Hans C. Peterson

Michael Przybysz

Walter Rives

Albert Sheppard

Samuel Shinnock

Samuel Henry Shunk

Wilbur Nelson Sims

Louis Stump

Harold L. Sweet

William F. Vogel,

Emil B. Vonsprecken

Lester Vorac

Charles Winner

Loyd Woodmanse,

August T Ziolkowski

Joseph Zopel

World War II

Stanley Algren

William Appledorn

Karl Argue

Ted Arnold

James Ball

Robert Baltzer

Bobert Bashaw

Hans Battice

Francis J. Beebe

Frank V. Benak

Eugene R. Bennet

David Benson

Russel Bentz

Charles D. Berry

Lawrence Berry

Richard Ellis Bigley

Carl Blucker

Charles Boyer

Robert Brwon

Herbert T. Carlson

John Chatfield

Dean Cleff,

Dean Clough

Donald Copeyon

Elza Crow

Eugene Currott

William Cuthbertson

John A. Danforth

Gerald Dawson

Ralph Durham,

Edward Dutchkowski

Ivan Finley

James Fisher

Carl Flannery

Henry L. Frost

Glenn Furnie

Everett L. Futrell

John C. Gibson

Alvin R. Gillett

Walter Grabowski

Fredrick Hansen

Stanley L. Hansen

Arnold Hargrieves

Carl Harrington

Charles Harrington

Garland Heyse

Olin Hilgendorf

Carl Jensen

Robert E. Johnson

Joseph H. Jones,

Rolland C. Kiehl

Earl R. Kotwitz

Walter L. Krzymicki

Marquis D. Lake

Russel C. Landes

Ambrose Landin

Howard E. Lehrbass

Thomas R. Lepak

Walter Lorenz

Weldon G. Luskin

Robert Marrison

William G. McCaw

Earnest P. McDaquette

James McDonald

John E. McKenzie,

Albert Monton

Martin Morse

Howard D. Nelson

Frank Newlin,

William E. Olson

James W. Outcalt

Isadore Pahoski

Peter Paulukitis

Harry Peterson

Hermon Peterson

Raymond Radtke

Cleo R. Raley

Chester R. Reid

Dave Ruschkewicz

Roger Riffle

Charles J. Rogan

Jack Ruger

James Ruschkewicz

Lawrence E. Sabin

Lacey Schrader

Marvin J, Sheldon

Carl R. Smith

Ivan Smith

John Smith

Harold Snyder

Vincent Spurgis

William Sterling

C.M. Stever

George Stillwell

Martin Sundholm

Clifford Sutter

G.J. Swinehart Jr.

Walter H, Thompson

Eric Thorne

Francis Alden Thorne

Arthur Tower

E. F. Vanervaart

Walter White

Albin Wincheski

Thure Lore Wisen

John Wittbecker

Lex E. Woody

Edward Yeck

William Young

Gerald Young

Walter Zajak

Korean War

Hoarold G. Bentz

Arnold Brooks

Lamont Durfee

David Jensen,

Tom Keith

Frank James Madsen Jr.

Charles Phillips

Roger Schumacher

Joe Williams

Vietnam War

David Aerts

Delpert Brimmer

Roger Dains

Rick Deeds

Leroy Draby

Richard Lange

James Nelson

Bernard Miester

Iraq War

Steven Hansen

Afghanistan

Joseph Lancour

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