Rucker,Vietnam Veterans to be honored

Late local sergeant lauded as one of last soldiers killed as veterans mark 50 years since end of Vietnam War

Vietnam Veterans will be lauded at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, February 4 at the courtroom of the Historic Cass County Courthouse in downtown Linden, Texas, with the 50th-anniversary commemoration of the end of the Vietnam War. The family of late local Sgt. John O’Neal Rucker—the last enlisted American service member to lose his life in Vietnam—will also be honored, said Cass County Judge Travis Ransom.

“Sgt. Rucker was a Linden native and his family will be at the event,” Ransom said. “I anticipate members of the community, and especially Vietnam Veterans to be present, including those in American Legion and VFW.”

Ransom said following courthouse commemorations would be a wreath-laying ceremony, with members of the AC119 Gunship association on hand, with at least one member of the association present who served with Rucker.

Ransom said the event was put together through the AC-119 Gunship Association, (ac119gunships.com), as well as the local and regional chapter of the Air and Space Force Association, (afa.org) Ransom said he believes this will be a good event, with Randy Smith planning to live stream the event—which can be found on Facebook events.

From AC-119 Gunships website on Sgt. Rucker: “Sgt. John O’Neal Rucker, Crew Chief, 18th SOS, Nakhon Phanom and Da Nang, 1972-73: On January 27, 1973, 11 hours before the cease-fire took effect, Sgt. John ‘O’Neal’ Rucker became the last American who died at Da Nang during the Vietnam War and that war’s last enlisted casualty.

O’Neal was assigned to aircraft maintenance for the 18th Special Operations Squadron’s Stinger aircraft. Several of his friends and crewmates told his parents that they’d had rocket attacks a week earlier and that this one occurred when O’Neal was off-duty, sleeping in the barracks. O’Neal was 21 years old.

John “O’Neal” Rucker was born March 17, 1951, in Kilgore Texas, and shortly after that moved to Linden Texas, his hometown. After graduating from Linden-Kildare High School, even though he had a high draft number, he volunteered for the Air Force in February 1971. O’Neal told his parents and friends he wanted to serve, and make the Air Force a career. When the Air Force asked him for his assignment preference during basic training at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas, he volunteered for service in South East Asia. O’Neal was initially assigned to NKP, Thailand in April 1972. In July he went TDY to Da Nang with the 18th SOS and was PCS’d to Da Nang two days before the fatal rocket attack. O’Neal was scheduled to return to Thailand before coming home.

Mae Rucker, O’Neal’s mother, told us they called him O’Neal because he was named after his father and they couldn’t have two Johnny’s in the house. O’Neal’s sisters Marsha and Margie, and his brother Frank remembered his R&R in Linden for Christmas 1972. He told Marsha to be careful waking him since he couldn’t guarantee he wouldn’t jump pretty high. Margie remembers he really liked what he was doing there on the flight line, and Frank knew he was proud to be in the Air Force.

Shortly after the cease fire took effect, the Department of the Air Force and the Republic of South Vietnam joined together to erect and dedicate a memorial at Da Nang Air Base to recognize all Americans who lost their life protecting freedom. The memorial park included a plaque honoring Sgt. Rucker.”

Colonel Hoover, Da Nang’s Commander, sent this letter to O’Neal’s parents: “Dear Mr. and Mrs. Rucker, Today is the 34th day into the cease-fire agreement and phase-down of United States Air Force activities in the Republic of Vietnam. The particular significance of this day is the fact that at 9:30 this morning, a group of USAF and Vietnamese personnel paused to dedicate the Da Nang Air Base Memorial Park.

This dedication, attended by approximately 400 people, while recognizing the overall contributions of all Air Force personnel here at Da Nang and those who died in the cause of freedom, gave special recognition to your son, Sgt. John Rucker.

The Park contains an engraved marble plaque in his honor, and I want to assure you that his memory and supreme sacrifice will not be forgotten. The attached Memorial Brochure will help you better sense the spirit of today’s activity. I was extremely proud to have your son under my command.

Sincerely, WILLIAM W. HOOVER, Colonel, USAF Commander” “On November 11, 1973, the people of Linden, Texas erected and dedicated a monument in the courthouse square in memory of Sgt. John O’Neal Rucker. We can say it no better than Paul Rowan, who interviewed dozens of Linden’s folks shortly after O’Neal died in Vietnam and wrote an article for the Fort-Worth Star-Telegram. He said, “Sgt. Rucker will be worth remembering because he died in the service of his country and with a firm trust in God. In Linden, a man can make no higher marks in history.”