Now finishing her junior year at Westlake High School in Austin, Texas, Annakate Kelley is looking ahead.
Next year, she鈥檒l be vice president of the school鈥檚 famed drill team, and her college search is ramping up, too. Having just returned from visits to 11 mid-Atlantic schools, she鈥檚 at a familiar stage: 鈥淚 have no idea where I want to go,” she says.
Kelley鈥檚 future is calling, but in recent months she鈥檚 also taken time to ponder the past. As part of an AP English project, she created a video tribute, based on her research, to the life and death of a beloved 乐播传媒 alumnus, David Nash 鈥�68, who was killed in Vietnam in spring 1970.
乐播传媒 alumni killed in Vietnam
Four 乐播传媒 graduates died in Vietnam: Robert Ahern 鈥�64 in 1969, Harry Mossman 鈥�65 in 1972, Charles Pfaffmann 鈥�67 in 1970, and David Nash 鈥�68 in 1970. Allan Jordan 鈥�65, who attended 乐播传媒 briefly and later graduated from Union, was killed in 1968.
Along the way, she鈥檚 made contact with a slew of Nash鈥檚 friends from 乐播传媒, catalyzing an unexpected round of conversation and memory-sharing 50 years after his death.
鈥淎nnakate was able to tap into a store of knowledge and sentiment from 50 years ago, and she鈥檚 done more to bring 乐播传媒 people together around David鈥檚 memory than she will ever realize,鈥� said Bruce Stangle 鈥�70. 鈥淲e owe her a debt of gratitude.鈥�
Annakate Kelley, a junior at Westlake High School in Austin, Texas, created this tribute video for her AP English class about David Nash ’68, killed in Vietnam in 1970.
Kelley鈥檚 project is rooted in her school鈥檚 AP English curriculum. Each year since 2009, junior AP students have read The Things They Carried, author Tim O鈥橞rien鈥檚 collection of short stories about combat soldiers in Vietnam.
Then they research a person 鈥� assigned randomly 鈥� whose name appears on the national Vietnam Veterans Memorial and create a video tribute using quotes, photographs, and other ephemera, including letters home, plus the student鈥檚 own voice-over.
鈥淚t moved me,鈥� said Mike Nolan 鈥�69, a Vietnam combat veteran, after seeing Kelley鈥檚 video. Noting that it was created by someone encountering the war for the very first time, Nolan says that 鈥渉er young age and time separation gives her a certain honesty without prejudice.鈥�
Rebecka Stucky, a high school English teacher of 44 years, created Westlake鈥檚 Vietnam tribute program in 2009, gaining support from the school library . Since then, Westlake students have created an astonishing 4,292 tributes, including .
Annakate Kelley, a junior at Westlake High School in Austin, Texas, created a tribute video to David Nash ’68, killed in Vietnam in 1970.
For her 16- and 17-year-old students, reading O’Brien’s book and creating the tributes 鈥渉elps make the war more real, more tangible,鈥� says Stucky. 鈥淭hey are near the age that some of their soldiers died, so it makes a tremendous impact on them. They begin to refer to the person they are researching as 鈥榤y guy.鈥欌��
Such is the case with Kelley. As she began her AP coursework, she recalls how 鈥渋t felt hard to find a connection to the war. It seemed so long ago.鈥� After reading the book and creating the video, 鈥渋t feels close.鈥�
That proximate feeling hit its height as photos poured in from Nash鈥檚 乐播传媒 friends, including John Lanza 鈥�67 and Bill Bensch 鈥�67. In one, Nash is with a bunch of friends in Parker Hall. He’s grinning, a beer in hand, and more than a few of his buddies are flipping the bird at the camera. Did Kelley notice the gesture? 鈥淎bout the third time I looked at the photo, yeah,鈥� she says with a laugh.
David Nash ’68 (standing at right, beer in hand) and bird-flipping friends pose in West Parker Hall in October 1965. (Photograph by Bill Bensch ’67)
Seeing him in his 乐播传媒 environment, with friends, beer, and laughter, changed her perception of Nash. 鈥淎t first I thought of him as a tough soldier. But he was just a kid.鈥�
O鈥橞rien鈥檚 book is about the literal and metaphorical things that soldiers carried with them in Vietnam. Nash carried 鈥渓ove for his sister and his mother,鈥� Kelley believes. 鈥淚 think that鈥檚 what was getting him through, thinking of them.鈥�
Nash鈥檚 mother died in 2010 (his father had died when he was 5 years old). His sister, Susan Rice, lives in Brewster, Mass., with her husband, Jonathan. She loaned Kelley letters that her brother wrote from Vietnam, letters filled with now-familiar sentiments of growing disillusionment, frustration, and fear.
It was hard to re-read his letters, says Rice, and the experience revived some regrets. Four years older than her brother and already married and living far from home, she “didn鈥檛 even get a chance to see him play baseball鈥� in high school or at 乐播传媒.
David Nash ’68 pitching for 乐播传媒. (Photograph by Jim Ledley ’69)
That鈥檚 been the hardest part of this experience, says Kelley, and what made her tear up at times: realizing that 鈥渢he war still affects people every single day. People live with the pain of the war every day.鈥�
The pain does endure, says Rice, but so does hope and appreciation.
鈥淎nnakate鈥檚 high school is not allowing their students to forget about this very sad chapter of American life,鈥� Rice says. 鈥淚n that sense, I feel good about it, the same way I felt about watching Ken Burns鈥� Vietnam War. It鈥檚 hard to watch, but good to always keep bringing those lessons forward.鈥�
For Stucky鈥檚 students, reaching out to family and friends to learn about 鈥渢heir guys鈥� becomes 鈥渁n amazing experience to guide them in their discovery.鈥� Importantly, the students 鈥渁re creating something for a very real audience.鈥�
At first, Kelley鈥檚 乐播传媒 audience numbered three. Reviewing Nash鈥檚 presence on various Vietnam tribute sites, including the , she saw tributes from Sal Spinoza 鈥�68, Bill Penders 鈥�70, and Charlie Buck 鈥�70.
Buck lives not far from Nash鈥檚 hometown of Mountain Lakes, N.J., and as fate would have it, he鈥檇 recently visited a cemetery in Basking Ridge to find Nash鈥檚 grave. Then, he received an email inquiry from Kelley. 鈥淚t almost knocked me off my chair,鈥� says Buck.
After Kelley contacted the trio, they and others, including Lanza and Stangle, helped to widen the circle, which now includes well over 100 乐播传媒 alumni, not to mention friends from Nash’s hometown that Kelley contacted for her project.
Rice says that the pain of losing her brother is also lessened by knowing that 鈥渃lassmates and 乐播传媒 friends still hold him in high regard.鈥�
A pitcher for 乐播传媒, David Nash ’68 adopts a serious expression for his baseball portrait in spring 1967. (Muskie Archives and Special Collections Library)
And do they. At 乐播传媒, Nash played baseball, majored in history, and, in his senior year, served as president of the intramurals council. Friends told Kelley how Nash was a 鈥渞eally good kid,鈥� a 鈥溊植ゴ� hero,鈥� and a 鈥渇irst-class guy.鈥�
To Penders, Nash was 鈥渨onderful, loving, sensitive, and kind.鈥� And a letter to his hometown paper after his death called him 鈥渨ell-mannered, decent, and polite…. He only wanted to 鈥榩lay ball.鈥欌��
The outpouring tells Kelley something about Nash鈥檚 college. 鈥溊植ゴ� seems like a community where everyone is supportive,鈥� she says. 鈥溊植ゴ� people seem to hold their connections forever, and I don鈥檛 think that happens at all colleges.鈥�
Shortly after graduation, Nash was drafted to fight in Vietnam. He underwent a new type of Army training at Fort Benning, Ga., one geared toward filling a pressing need for more noncommissioned officers who could lead troops into battle.
Nash was tapped as his group’s “Distinguished Graduate” and promoted to staff sergeant. In his familiar self-deprecating and ironic tone, he judged the honor to be the result of “a calamity of errors” by the Army.
By September 1969, Nash was in Vietnam, but rather than the infantry, he was surprised to learn that he would command an armored cavalry assault vehicle, or ACAV, in the 11th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Squadron, I Troop, 3rd Platoon.
In May 1969, David Nash ’68 is congratulated by First Sgt. Raymond Jenkins as a Distinguished Graduate of his noncommissioned officer training program at Fort Benning, Ga. (Photograph by Sgt. L. Herrmann)
鈥淚 know nothing about armor 鈥� its maintenance or operation,鈥� he wrote. 鈥淚 guess my first month will be 鈥榦n the job training.鈥� It鈥檚 really typical of this ______ [sic] Army to train me to be an infantryman and then put me with armor. C鈥檈st la vie!鈥�
For the armored cavalry in Vietnam, missions came fast and furious. Considered the Army鈥檚 jack-of-all-trades, armored cavalry units were tasked with barreling into the jungle to find and engage the enemy. Being an ACAV commander 鈥渋s not always conducive to good health,鈥� wrote Nash. 鈥淚 will be sitting in the open turret…firing a 50-caliber machine gun in plain view of everyone.鈥�
Nash wrote about the dangers of RPGs, or rocket-propelled grenades, that 鈥渨ill go through an ACAV like a baseball goes through a window. That鈥檚 how we get most of our casualties (along with mines), and they really scare me.鈥� Twice, Nash鈥檚 ACAV ran over a mine, and each time he avoided injury.
He also wrote about his perplexing encounters with civilians, mentioning Stars and Stripes coverage of the My Lai massacre in one letter and expressing the familiar soldier鈥檚 lament: 鈥淵ou just don鈥檛 know who to trust.鈥�
David Nash ’68 sits atop his armored cavalry assault vehicle, or ACAV, in Vietnam in January 1970. On the back of the photo, he wrote, “I have to do something about that beer belly.” (Courtesy of Susan Rice)
By December 1969, after heavy fighting near the Cambodian border, his platoon, which was supposed to have 40 men, was down to 24. 鈥淎ll three of my crew are 20 years old 鈥� fresh out of high school. My gunner is a medic. That鈥檚 how hard up we are for men,鈥� he wrote to his sister.
Still, his 鈥済ung ho鈥� platoon leader, a first lieutenant, kept volunteering for extra assignments. 鈥淲e have now been in the field for 32 consecutive days,鈥� wrote Nash. The lieutenant, he added, 鈥渄oesn鈥檛 think of his men enough.鈥�
For Kelley, the event that defined Nash鈥檚 character came the day he was mortally wounded. A new soldier had been assigned to check the perimeter for land mines. And Nash, perhaps because of who he was or perhaps because of what he didn鈥檛 like about his platoon leader, or perhaps both, volunteered to take the new soldier鈥檚 place. During the patrol, on March 26, 1970, he stepped on a mine.
He survived the blast and the loss of his leg, but complications set in. On April 17, he dictated a letter to a Red Cross worker from his hospital bed in Japan. 鈥淢y wounds have healed but I picked up intestinal problems, malaria, and other assorted problems,鈥� he wrote to his sister. He was fed intravenously. 鈥淎t this point I think I鈥檇 pay ten dollars for a cheeseburger.鈥�
Nash died 26 days later, on May 13, 1970. He was 23 years old.
David Nash ’68 (second from left) and fellow Bobcat hurlers gather with their baseball coach, Chick Leahey ’52 (right), in the Gray Athletic Building in spring 1967. (Muskie Archives and Special Collections Library)
The next spring, his 乐播传媒 baseball coach, Chick Leahey 鈥�52, announced the creation of the David R. Nash Memorial Baseball Award, an effort spearheaded by Mike Morin ’68 and supported by teammates and friends of Nash. In recent years, his 乐播传媒 friends have also endowed a scholarship fund in Nash鈥檚 name.
Leahey鈥檚 widow, Ruth Leahey, has seen Kelley鈥檚 tribute video. 鈥淚 wish Chick were here to see it,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 remember when the call came that David was injured, and then a second call that he had died. Chick was deeply sad and frustrated by the loss of David鈥檚 life in the war.鈥�
Years later, the Leaheys traveled to Washington, D.C. There, Chick went to the Vietnam wall, found David鈥檚 name, and knelt in prayer.
