Saluting our veterans: Merlyn Hirsch

By: 
Bethany Carson

sites/default/files/Hirsch.jpg

When Merlyn Hirsch of Clarksville left for Vietnam in 1968, he had no intention of coming home. He took for granted he would die for his country. Instead, he earned the Army Commendation Medal, Air Medal for Meritorious achievement, and Bronze Star, medals he has shown to very few, from a time that, like many other veterans, he’s too emotional to speak about. But, it’s a story that must be told. At the Star’s request, Merlyn and his wife Joyce wrote their memories of that time to share this Veteran’s Day.
     “It’s an emotional thing for him. He doesn’t talk about it much. Probably the only time is when we watch a movie and he says, this was how it happened, or it never happened this way,” Joyce Hirsch said.
     The couple were high school sweethearts.    “I gave her her diamond on Main Street, while taking her to her graduation ceremony at the school in May of 1968. I had graduated in May of 1966 from Clarksville High School,” Merlyn Hirsch said. “After graduation, I went to work for a bridge crew. When I turned 18 on August 19, 1966, I started working at Chamberlain Manufacturing in Waterloo, Iowa. They made shell casings for weapons for the government.”
On June 5, 1968, he was drafted into the Army at the age of 19.
Read more in the November 15 edition of the STAR.
Subscribe by calling 1-800-558-1244 ext 122 or email Deb at circulation@midamericapub.com

Tribune-Journal & Star

101 N. Main St.
P.O. Box 788
Clarksville, IA 50619
Phone: 319-278-4641

Mid-America Publishing

This newspaper is part of the Mid-America Publishing Family. Please visit www.midampublishing.com for more information.