A deep sense of duty to country and wanting to challenge himself to be the best that he could be inspired an 18-year-old Jon Mikil Kilgore to enlist in the U.S. Marine Corps shortly after his graduation from Bellefontaine High School in 1968, during the height of the Vietnam War.
The West Liberty area resident said he knew he likely would be drafted, so he wanted to take the matter into his own hands, as he was interested in being a part of the high caliber of training and work ethic of the Marines.
“I know for myself and a number of veterans, you join the service because you feel obligated; we feel we owe this nation for our freedom and we want to give back for everything we’ve been given,” said Kilgore, who also served as an Ohio State Highway Patrol trooper until his retirement in 2000.
Today during a ceremony on the north side of the Logan County Courthouse, he will be honored during the eighth annual Logan County Vietnam Veterans Day ceremony at 10:30 a.m.
The U.S. Marines combat veteran and his family will be presented with a U.S. flag that has been flown above the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, D.C., above the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus and at the Logan County Courthouse. His son, Travis, will assist with the proceedings by handing the flag to his father.
Russ Strayer from the American Legion Harold Kerr Post 173 reports that the local event coincides with National Vietnam Veterans Day. The organization selects one Vietnam veteran to honor in this way each year, and that individual then is also named the grand marshal for the Bellefontaine Memorial Day Parade.
“We want to honor all of our Vietnam veterans and apologize for the way they were treated when they came home from the war,” said Strayer, a fellow Vietnam veteran who served in the U.S. Army artillery branch.
“For many of our veterans, they mention that they want to accept this flag on behalf of those who didn’t make it home.”
Serving in the infantry in the D Company, First Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, Kilgore’s division was stationed on the ground in the Que Son mountains near Da Nang, a dangerous spot during the war. He related that he witnessed his first firefight within 24 hours of arriving there.
“With all of the firefights going on around us that first night, it looked like Christmas,” he said. “I was told that the next morning, it was going to be bad.
“We seemed to tangle quite a bit with the North Vietnamese in the mountains. I did the best I could with what I had. We saw a lot of good guys die; in the 7th Marine Division Delta Company, approximately 550 people died in Vietnam.
“I feel blessed that I can walk around and that I’m still here today. There also have been many who were wounded physically and mentally during the war and are not here with us anymore.”
Prior to arriving in Vietnam, the BHS graduate, a son of the late Clark and Pauline Kilgore, said he attended basic Marine Corps training in San Diego and also successfully completed Basic Infantry School at Camp Pendleton in California.
After only a few days back at home, the then 19-year-old would make the long trek with his troop members from California and to Okinawa, Japan, where the Marines were outfitted in their jungle fatigues, and then finished their journey, arriving in Vietnam in July of 1969.
It was a long 10 months for Kilgore serving in the mountains in the infantry division. He related that he and his comrades rarely could change their clothes or shower, and the temperatures hovered at 110 degrees during the day, and around 85 degrees at night.
“The heat, sounds and smells are unbelievable. It’s not nice outdoor air like we smell here; it just smells bad. The mosquitos are awful as well,” he said, noting that he spent 15 days in a naval hospital being treated for malaria and then it was “back to the bush.”
But the Marine mentality and loyalty, “all for one and one for all” were practiced by his fellow squad members. Kilgore said he was immediately filled in on what to expect, including how to handle the difficulties of the war and practical ways to deal with the living conditions.
“I was 19 years old when I first got to Vietnam and most of the guys in my squad or platoon were my age. Guys who were 25 were considered ‘old’ over there.
“We all had each other’s back and wanted to help where we could. In one of the first days there, I even happened to jump into a fox hole with a guy from Bellefontaine — his name was John Clifton. That was nice to have that connection to back home.”
After about 10 months on the ground in the infantry, Kilgore said he was serving as a squad leader and happened to be listening to the radio one evening and heard his name being spelled out phonetically, which sparked his curiosity. The next day, he was informed that he was being promoted to serve with the Marines Military Police.
“This meant a little more stability — living in the barracks, three meals a day, a shower and clean clothes,” he said. “It still was dangerous, as we had to go into Da Nang.”
Military Police duties included keeping tabs on POW camps and performing guard duty, patrolling Da Nang and working alongside the South Vietnamese, and also serving in a color guard for the general.
At the end of his service, Kilgore was honorably discharged as an E4 corporal in July 1970. He earned medals for Marine Corps Good Conduct, Vietnam Service, National Defense, an RVN Gallantry Cross and RVN Campaign Medal, which his son recently put together in a shadowbox display for his father.
After serving active duty, Kilgore said he went back to working at Super Foods for a time, where he met his wife, the former Linda Wren.
He then began his service with the Ohio State Highway Patrol in 1975 at the Bellefontaine Post. He then was promoted to sergeant and was stationed in Norwalk and later worked along with Ohio Turnpike for 10 years.
Sgt. Kilgore retired from the OSHP in 2000, serving at that time at the Marysville Post. He currently serves as a driver for the Logan County Veteran’s Service Office, assisting fellow veterans to doctor’s appointments.
In January, Mr. and Mrs. Kilgore celebrated their 50th anniversary and are looking forward to attending the ceremony together with their son and daughter-in-law, Leann Kilgore. They also have three grandchildren.