Charity A. McCall
Daily Dunklin Democrat
The Vietnam War affected the lives of all Americans during the late 1960s and early 1970s. Even those who had no close personal ties to the war were pulled into the overwhelming despair felt by the families of those who had watched loved ones leave to go to Vietnam.
One such example is Jonesboro resident Sheila McCall, who visited The Moving Wall in Kennett earlier this week.
McCall had no relatives in Vietnam during the war. She had no close friends who were shipped to that hostile land. But in 1972, at 19-years-old while living in Blytheville, Ark., McCall visited Eaker Air Force base and bought a POW/MIA bracelet for a lost Vietnam soldier.
The bracelet was engraved with the name Lt. Col. David Zook, Jr., and the date, October 4, 1967, on which Zook became listed as Missing In Action.
'"The reason I picked out that particular bracelet was because my best friend in junior high school in Michigan shared the same last name," McCall said.
McCall wore the bracelet for the next few years and finally retired it to her jewelry box, but never forgot the man whose name was listed on it.
"Although the bracelet has been in my jewelry box for many years I cannot see the date October 4 without remembering that this is the day that Lt. Col. David Zook, Jr., was listed as missing," McCall said.
Over the years, McCall has read countless articles and reports listing missing Vietnam soldiers whose remains had finally been found and sent home to their families to no avail. McCall never saw the name David Zook listed in any of those articles.
It wasn't until visiting The Moving Wall that McCall realized Zook was still listed as Missing In Action.
"I have always felt that someday I would know more about this man that I have said so many prayers for," McCall said.
McCall never gave up the hope that someday she would find out what had happened to Zook.
Through an Internet search, Zook's wife, Patricia S. Zook was located, and McCall realized that she is not the only one who hopes to someday know what happened to Zook. Patricia Zook confirmed that her husband's remains have never been found.
'"At one point we thought they had found his remains, but they have never determined for sure if they are his, "she said. Zook was, however, listed as Presumed Dead in 1978.
"Our son, David Zook, III, is a leutenant colonel in the United States Army, so he is able to check on the status of the investigation into the location of his father's remains," Patricia said. "The last time he talked to them, they still had not confirmed that they had found them."
Zook raised her son, who was 12-years-old when his father was reported missing, and two daughters, Alice and Lydia who were 3 and 4-years-old at the time, alone. She has never remarried.
"My reason was that I knew I would never find anyone as good as he was to me. I could never find anyone to take his place," she said.
According to Zook her husband piloted a plane that flew over the Vietnamese people and dropped propaganda messages. His plane was also equipped with a loud speaker that was used to speak to the people in Vietnamese.
David Zook's plane went down near Ben Cat after flying out of Bien Hoa, and he was promoted to Colonel after he was reported missing.
Zook lives on the farm where her husband was raised in West Liberty, Ohio, and has taught school for more than 30 years.
"Before he went to Vietnam he thought I should be doing something to keep my mind occupied, so I began teaching. And he was right, after he was listed as missing, I realized it was a very good thing that I had my job to help keep my mind off of other things," Patricia said.
David Zook was not drafted to go to Vietnam. He was a career Air Force officer and was 37-years-old at the time of his disappearnce.
"He was a very good husband and father," Zook said. To this day, she wears a POW/MIA bracelet with her husband's name on it.
She's received news from two other people who wore her husband's bracelet in support of him during the Vietnam War.
"When the first person sent the bracelet, I wore it until I recieved the second, and now I'm wearing it," Patricia said.
McCall plans to send her bracelet to Zook who said she would begin wearing it when she recieves it.
"I am now honored that his wife will wear the bracelet that I have held dear for nearly 30 years," McCall said. "Over the years I have come to have an even greater appreciation of being an American than that 19-year-old girl had. I am grateful for those many "men of honor" who gave their lives so that we may enjoy a freedom that is non-existent in many countries across the world."
McCall is not the only visitor to The Moving Wall who cherished a POW/MIA bracelet and looked for a name on the wall.
Monica Kolessar, of Kennett, looked for the name of Capt. Gerald Powell, but she didn't find it there.
"I knew he had come home, but I had to check for his name just to be sure that it wasn't there," Kolessar said.
At age 15, Kolessar, along with her two sisters and younger brother, ordered a bracelet when they first became available in 1970, and wore it for nearly a year in support of Powell. Powell was one of the lucky ones, he came home.
"We were all sitting around watching the television when a planeload of men came home, and of the four bracelets we had in the house my soldier was the only one who came home," Kolessar said.
Kolessar sent her bracelet back to Powell and recieved a thank-you note from him. She never had any other contact with Powell, but said the experience was a very emotional one.
"It was like, by wearing the bracelet, you were a part of them. The bracelets really held a lot of emotion behind them," Kolessar said.
Kolessar, like McCall, had no relatives or loved ones in the war, but by wearing a POW/MIA bracelet the war became a part of her life also.
"I remember going to the park with other kids in the neighborhood and talking about whose older brother would have to go next. But I didn't have an older brother, so I didn't have anyone who would go," Kolessar said. "But the bracelets kept us all connected to the land so far away and the men that were so close to many of our hearts."
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