Bundle 1, Talk to Someone/Read More

After I went to Braga I headed over to the Newport Public Library. My sister had said there was an article about Braga in the newspaper last year so I thought it best to start with Newport Daily News micro films. Little did I know that quick trip to the library turned my entire project on its head.



When I arrived I went straight to the reference desk. A pleasant librarian named Gail helped me fine the articles. As she was entering 'Braga' into the database she asked me why I was doing the project. I told her I really didn't know why the park was named after Braga, other than that he died in Vietnam.
"Well it was called Braga because he was the first Newporter to die over there." Ah, I thought, that makes sense.
"But you know about the controversy over the whole thing don't you?"
....No...I didn't
"He wasn't really the first to die. Another guy was killed a few months before him and history had kind of forgotten about him. It came to light right after a big memorial dedication to Braga last summer."

I was completely stunned. First of all, where was this memorial I'd never seen? And secondly, how did history forget about this poor primary fallen soldier?  The Vietnam War wasn't that long ago, it's not as if the records have been buried for hundreds of years. Not to belittle Braga's death, but isn't it a little unfair he's being exalted for being the first to fall when he wasn't?

I wizzed through the film to find more complete information.

The article from last year included the original 1965 clipping about Dupere's Death

He was a father of four. He had a young wife. He had fought in the Korean War prior to the Vietnamese Conflict.
This article also explained that Braga was the 5th Newporter to die in action. The boy scout who erected the memorial was questioned about where he had seen that Braga was the first to die. He explained the memorial website had listed him first, so he assumed he had been the first to fall (it was in alphabetical order).

I searched the names from the Newport Vietnam Memorial using the national Vietnam Memorial database. This is the list containing name, rank, age, date and cause of death.

Army Staff Sgt. Joseph Rene Dupere, 32 yrs

November 12, 1965

HOSTILE, ground casualty with small arms fire in South Vietnam

Army Staff Sgt. Blanchard Ware Cochrane, 31 yrs

May 12, 1966

                                  HOSTILE, ground casualty with small arms fire in South Vietnam

Army Capt. Robert L. Mosher, 29 yrs

May 26, 1967

NON-HOSTILE, helicopter crash on land in South Vietnam

Marine Corps Sgt. Richard E. Greene Jr., 24 yrs

June 22, 1967

HOSTILE, ground casualty related to an explosive device in Quang Nam, Vietnam

Army Sgt. John Paul Braga Jr., 20 yrs

January 31, 1968

HOSTILE, died of wounds suffered from small arms fire in Bien Hoa, South Vietnam

Army Cpl. Joseph T. Vandevender, 21 yrs

June 2, 1968

HOSTILE, ground casualty involving explosive devices

Army Sgt. Jerimiah J. Saulnier, 38 yrs

July 15, 1968

HOSTILE, died of wounds suffered from explosive devices

Air Force Sgt. Alfred N. Potter, 27 yrs

April 10, 1970

NON-HOSTILE, action in Thailand

Air Force Airman 1st Class John Glover, 19yrs

April 8, 1971

HOSTILE, ground action involving explosives in Gia Dinh, South Vietnam

Braga was not the first, nor was he the youngest. I searched for more information on Braga himself. I was able to locate a book on Google books about Vietnam soldiers and their families. A Story for All Americans: Vietnam, victims, and veterans was written by Frank L. Grzyb. Braga's mother is included in the interviews. To summarize, Braga had been a well liked 20 year old barely out of high school when he was drafted. It explained when Braga's mother found out he had been killed as well as the heavily attended funeral for him. Mrs. Braga was proud of the park dedicated to her son (a picture was included of the original dedication) but the reason behind the name was not given. 

I made a second trip to the park to see where the unnoticed memorial stood before moving forward with plans. 

After looking at all of this information I'm changing my approach a little bit. Since there is already a memorial for Braga I'd like to make another memorial for ALL those who fought in Vietnam. The plaque next to it would provide the information I explained above (the list of casualties with age and cause of death) rather than just who Braga was as I initially suggested. It's important to focus on all the fallen veterans, not just one, and even more importantly the soldiers who came home again. Everyone of them put their life on the line for a cause they might not have even believed in, they deserve to be honored.