23-04-2025
'Before They Were Soldiers' profiles Iowans who did not return from Vietnam
FORT DODGE, Iowa — T.J. Martin has always been interested in the stories of those who served in Vietnam, and those who did not return. Martin's mother's first husband, was one of those who was killed in action.
Martin's interest in his own family history spawned an idea, to capture the stories of those soldiers from northwest Iowa who did not come back. The Iowa Central College Campus where he works, supported his idea, and students were signed up to help put the project together.
The class plan was to spend the whole year doing interviews and putting it together. The project lasted three years.
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'We're an institution of higher learning. 'We bring the students and to have them work with us to go out to conduct interviews, ask questions, some critical thinking skills on their behalf then write up the bio about each of these individuals and then at the end of the project, we decided what we would do is compile all into a book,' Martin said.
Students involved in the project quickly realized this is more than a class to help raise their GPA.
'It reminded us that remembrance is not merely a duty, it's a privilege. That gratitude is not something to be performed, but something to be felt,' said Matt Helmers, an Iowa Central grad, who worked on the project. 'As students we walk away, not just more educated, but more human, more aware of the threads that tie us to one another across generations and across times.'
The book 'Before They Were Soldiers' looks at the life the Iowa soldiers experienced, prior to going to Vietnam. It includes thee fun times, fishing trips, working with a tractor, girls they may have dated, and life experiences.
'Before They Were Soldiers' is on Amazon, and copies of the book were given to families who talked about their loved ones for the project.
The 55 soldiers were chosen from the nine county region served by Iowa Central Community College.
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