DIEKEMA. SP4 ARNOLD RAYMOND DIEKEMA. HONORING TODAY. KENT CITY VIETNAM WAR CASUALTIES. Yesterday I had the question come up on what were the names of the local Vietnam War Casualties. I have always been told there were three. It used to be whenever a list was published in an article that there were three listed. At one time I think there was a memorial stone on the school grounds where the lower elementary is now that was to these three men. I do not know if it is still there or not. The three men are SP4 Arnold Raymond Diekema. CPL Danny Reisburg and SP4 Daniel Louis Behm. I will do a post on each person today. First is Arnold Diekema. Arnold went to Kent City School, he was born in 1947. His casualty date is 23, November 1968, at Tay Ninh, Vietnam. He died from small arms fire. Arnold served from February 1968, til his death in November 1968. Arnold was in the 5th Infantry Division. Tropic Lighting Division. I remember Arnold. There were several children in the family. I think Arnold was the only male. The family lived east of Kent City on 17 Mile Road. It was on the north side of the road. They lived in a house that was down a long driveway. The house is no longer there. It sat empty for years and was torn down. I think Mark Mortenson built a home there on the site. It used to be Mike Thomas owned the property before Mark. I do not have any photos of Arnold or his stone. I have always been told he is buried in Hillside Cemetery near Grant. The Diekema family went to the Kent City Methodist Church. If there are any corrections needed in what I have wrote. Please let me know. If anyone has any photos of information to share please feel free to post or comment.
Posted on: Wed, 05 Nov 2014 11:27:40 +0000
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