The first was Army Sgt. Robert Louis Gardner, killed June 13, 1962, two weeks before turning 40, with just one year to go to make a 20-year career.

The eldest was Lt. Col. Kenneth Walter Hall, killed just a week after his 42nd birthday. The youngest, at 19 years, 194 days old, was SPC E-4 Thomas Dennis Nadeau.

The last was SPC E-4 William Arthur Malenfant, killed two weeks into 1971.

Most died of wounds suffered in battle, but two were killed in helicopter crashes and two others in plane crashes.

And one — Nadeau — was killed, not by enemy fire or air crash, but of what the record calls “accidental homicide” — he was fatally wounded while “weapons were being cleaned.”

Besides losing their lives in an extraordinarily brutal, controversial war that history tells us was more a tragic, misguided intervention in a civil conflict between Communist North Vietnam and independent South Vietnam than a noble struggle against Communist aggression, the men, 18 in all, were tied by a common thread: They were Nashuans before they were soldiers.

Kurt Cameron, a Vietnam veteran who is one of the lucky ones, spends a lot of time these days on projects big and small that pay tribute in some way to his fallen fellow soldiers, and his latest undertaking is no different.

Learning about a new initiative by city officials, who are working in conjunction with militarytributebanners.org to create 18 giant banners bearing a photograph or similar image of each of Nashua’s fallen Vietnam veterans, Cameron rolled up his sleeves and jumped right in to help.

He figured if he could find any family members of the 18 men, chances are there’s a photo or two he might be able to borrow to put on the men’s banners.

The other prong of Cameron’s efforts is raising the necessary funds to get the banners done, which is somewhere around $3,000. All donations are welcome; the amount to sponsor a full banner is $165, he said.

See accompanying information box for details on how to donate.

Dean Shalhoup’s column appears Sundays in The Telegraph. He may be reached at 594-1256 or dshalhoup@nashuatelegraph.com.

The names of the 18 Nashua men who lost their lives in the Vietnam War between 1962-71 follow, in alphabetical order.

* SPC E-4 Warren Richard “Beaver” Brown, infantryman, U.S. Army

Born: May 18, 1947

Tour began: Jan. 20, 1968

Died: Feb. 22, 1968, in Thua Thien Province, South Vietnam, of multiple fragmentation wounds from hostile fire.

* Warrant Officer Martin James Coronis, U.S. Army

Born: Dec. 6, 1942

Tour began: April 25, 1967

Died: July 11, 1967, Kontum Province, South Vietnam; pilot of helicopter that crashed over land.

* Staff Sgt. George Francis Flanagan, tank crewman, U.S. Marine Corps

Born: Sept. 12, 1938

Tour began: Oct. 11, 1967

Died: Jan. 4, 1968, in Quang Nam Province, South Vietnam, a day after sustaining wounds in hostile artillery, rocket or mortar fire

* Sgt. Robert Louis Gardner, training specialist and small arms/artillery repairman, U.S. Army Special Forces

Born: July 1, 1922

Tour began: 1943

Died: June 13, 1962, central South Vietnam, of hostile gun or small arms fire, while training local South Vietnamese troops to defend their villages against the Viet Cong guerrellas

* Airman First Class Richard Lee Halgren, U.S. Air Force

Born: June 4, 1946

Tour began: 1966

Died: Sept. 24, 1968, Wake Island, western Pacific region; among 11 servicemen killed in non-hostile plane crash near the island

* Lt. Col. Kenneth Walter Hall, infantry unit commander, U.S. Army

Born: June 17, 1926

Tour began: Oct. 24, 1967

Died: June 24, 1968, Gia Dinh Province, South Vietnam, of non-hostile loss or crash of helicopter

* Staff Sgt. Czeslaw Kowalczyk, infantryman, U.S. Army

Born: March 3, 1926

Tour began: Oct. 16, 1965

Died: Dec. 5, 1965, Binh Duong Province, South Vietnam, of hostile gun or small arms fire

* Capt. Roland Charles Labonte, field artillery unit commander, U.S. Army

Born: July 28, 1935

Tour began: Sept. 6, 1968

Died: April 19, 1969, Long Khanh Province, South Vietnam, of hostile artillery, rocket or mortar fire

* Private First Class Richard Edward Letendre, medical corpsman, U.S. Army

Born: Oct. 30, 1948

Tour began: Aug. 14, 1968

Died: Oct. 5, 1968, Binh Duong Province, South Vietnam, of hostile gun or small arms fire

* SPC E-4 Dennis Franklin Lorden, infantryman, U.S. Army

Born: Sept. 21, 1948

Tour began: Feb. 26, 1969

Died: July 14, 1969, Quang Tri Province, South Vietnam, of multiple fragmentation wounds by hostile fire

* SPC E-4 William Arthur Malenfant, helicopter repair specialist, U.S. Army

Born: Oct. 27, 1947

Tour began: April 6, 1970

Died: Jan. 15, 1971, Thua Thien Province, South Vietnam, was crew member on helicopter lost or crashed by hostile causes

* Major James Patrick McKeon, U.S. Air Force

Born: Feb. 13, 1933

Tour began: Oct. 16, 1968

Died: Feb. 13, 1969, Binh Dinh Province, South Vietnam, of non-hostile illness, disease or injury

* SPC E-4 Thomas Dennis Nadeau, special purpose material supply specialist, U.S. Army

Born: Dec. 27, 1948

Tour began: May 2, 1968

Died: Aug. 11, 1968, Binh Dinh Province, South Vietnam, non-hostile causes — accidental homicide

* Private First Class Raymond Louis Paradis, photographic specialist, U.S. Army

Born: June 24, 1948

Tour began: March 10, 1970

Died: May 9, 1970, Pleiku Province, South Vietnam, in hostile-related helicopter crash or loss over land

* SPC E-4 Robert Peter Scibilia, infantryman, U.S. Army

Born: May 9, 1948

Tour began: Jan. 16, 1969

Died: May 23, 1969, Kien Hoa Province, South Vietnam, of hostile gun or small arms fire

* Captain Armand Alvin Sylvestre, U.S. Army

Born: May 11, 1936

Tour began: May 20, 1968

Died: July 15, 1968, in Thua Thien Province, South Vietnam, of injuries sustained in vehicle crash.

* Private First Class David Howard Weller, rifleman, U.S. Marine Corps

Born: June 15, 1947

Tour began: unknown

Died: June 2, 1967, Quang Tin Province, South Vietnam, a day after sustaining wounds from hostile gun or small arms fire

* Private First Class William Wilkowsky Jr., medical corpsman, U.S. Army

Born: Oct. 1, 1945

Tour began: March 22, 1966

Died: April 30, 1966, Quang Tri Province, South Vietnam, by hostile gun or small arms fire

ABOUT THE BANNERS PROJECT

Vietnam veteran Kurt Cameron is in the process of locating photos of the 18 Nashua men who lost their lives fighting the Vietnam War. He is also raising funds to have the photos scanned onto large banners that will be installed along the Broad Street Parkway by Memorial Day.

Anyone who may have contact information for a relative of any of the soldiers, or knows of any photos of one or more of the soldiers, or who wishes to make a donation, can contact Cameron between 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. at 913-3860, or at cmkurtdeb@comcast.net.

Donations can also be brought to one of two collection points — Chuck’s barbershop, 115 Main St., or Greater Nashua Habitat for Humanity ReStore at 352 Amherst St.