POINT LOOKOUT, MO — College of the Ozarks will hold a ceremony service honoring Vietnam Veterans at Patriots Park on Monday, March 30, at 10 a.m. The community is invited to attend.
This year marks the 53rd anniversary of when the last American troops departed from Vietnam on March 29, 1973. The purpose of the Vietnam War Veterans Day observance ceremony is to honor the fallen and properly thank Vietnam War Veterans for their sacrifice and bravery. The Missouri Vietnam Veterans Memorial stands near the College’s entrance and bears the names of the 1,410 Missourians who served and died in the Vietnam War.
The program will include:
- Welcome by James P. Schreffler, vice president for patriotic programs at College of the Ozarks
- National anthem by Ryan Wolf, sophomore vocal music education major
- Pledge of Allegiance led by Annabella Mohler, junior video production major and 2025 Patriotic Education Travel Program Vietnam participant
- Invocation by Allen Marx, senior engineering major and 2025 PETP Vietnam participant
- Speaker introduction by Dr. Brad Johnson, president of College of the Ozarks
- Benediction by Capt. Caleb Dunnam, assistant professor of military science at College of the Ozarks, chaplain, and member of the Missouri Army National Guard
James “Dan” Bunch, Vietnam Veteran and a 2025 PETP participant, will give remarks to honor those who served in the Vietnam War. An airborne infantryman, he deployed to Vietnam in 1968 with B Company, 2nd Battalion, 173rd Airborne Brigade, and participated in more than 45 combat missions, earning the Purple Heart, Bronze Star, and multiple Air Medals. After Vietnam, he served with the 82nd Airborne Division with assignments in West Germany, Panama and Alaska, and completed more than 300 parachute jumps, earning the Master Parachutist Badge. He retired in 1988 as a first sergeant and went on to start his own construction business. Dan and his wife, Linda, have five children and 16 grandchildren and reside in Bolivar, Missouri.
The Missouri legislators made the memorial at College of the Ozarks the official Vietnam War Memorial for the state of Missouri with Missouri Senate Concurrent Resolution 43, which was sponsored by Senator David Sater from Missouri District 29. The resolution was adopted in May 2014.
The memorial is another way to further the College’s vision – which is to develop citizens of Christlike character who are well-educated, hardworking, and patriotic.
For additional information, contact Public Relations Director Valorie Coleman at (417) 690-2212.