SMETHPORT – Three distinguished veterans will speak during the
opening ceremony for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Moving Wall,
starting at 7 p.m. today at Hamlin Lake Park along U.S. Route 6 in
Smethport.

Addressing those in attendance during the “A Time of Tribute”
portion of the event will be U.S. Army Sgt. Gary B. Beikirch, who
is a recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor; James Hales of
the U.S. Marine Corps and Pennsylvania American Legion State
Commander; and William Kastner, a Distinguished Service Cross
recipient.

Beikirch served in the Army’s Special Forces in Vietnam from
August 1967 to August 1971. He was honored with the Congressional
Medal of Honor for his actions during the defense of Camp Dak
Seang, where he saved the lives of several of his fellow
servicemen.

Beikrich was also awarded with the Distinguished Service Cross,
Bronze Star, Purple Heart with an Oak Leaf Cluster, Combat Medic
Badge, Vietnamese Jump Wings and Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry with
Silver Star. He was also named the New York state Senate’s Veterans
Hall of Fame in November 2005. In 2004, he became a member of the
U.S. Legion of Honor, an organization originally founded in 1890 to
recognize Medal of Honor recipients.

He lives in Rochester, N.Y., and is a teacher.

Also speaking will be Hales, a native of North Carolina who
enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps in 1964.

After basic and infantry training, he was assigned to the
Ceremonial Guard Company at the Marine Barracks 8th and I in
Washington as an honor guard. There, his assignments included duty
guarding the president at Camp David in Maryland.

Hales also served in Vietnam as an infantryman with the First
Marine Division and as a military policeman with the 3rd M.P.
Battalion with specialized duties including the capture, recovery,
protection, transport, incarceration and care of enemy prisoners of
war. He was twice meritoriously promoted in a combat zone to the
ranks of corporal and sergeant. He was commissioned a second
lieutenant in 1973 and completed Officer Candidate School in
1974.

During his career, Hales served throughout the U.S., Far East
and the Mediterranean area. He retired from the Marines in 1985 as
captain. Hales has also been a veterans’ advocate with the American
Legion, where he has held a variety of positions at the post,
county, district, department and national levels.

He lives in Uniontown with his wife Esther.

Lastly, Kastner is retired from the U.S. Air Force with the rank
of senior master sergeant. He is now the director of the Steuben
County Veterans’ Service Agency in Bath, N.Y. As director, he is
responsible for the overall operation of the agency.

During more than 20 years of active military duty, he held the
positions of air policeman, law enforcement supervisor, security
police investigator, recruiting supervisor and social actions/race
relations for the U.S. Department of Defense. He was a forward
observer in Vietnam.

Kastner received the Distinguished Flying Cross for Heroism,
Meritorious Service Medal, Air Force Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster,
Commendation Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters, Purple Heart,
Vietnam Cross for Gallantry and New York State Conspicuous Service
Cross.

The rest of the opening ceremony today will be as follows:

* Prelude Music, “The Mansions of the Lord” and “America the
Beautiful” followed by bagpipes by the Ancient Order of Hibernians
Gargoyle Pipes and Drums of Olean, N.Y.;

* Posting of Colors by NCOIC George Tufts, all Pennsylvania and
New York state regional veterans colorguard units;

* National Anthem by Harmony Card and Tim Rowand of Smethport
Area High School;

* Pledge of Allegiance by the American Legion and Veterans of
Foreign Wars Post Commanders;

* Invocation by Virgil Daley;

* Welcome and introductions by Jack Rosenswie, master of
ceremonies;

* Laying of Vietnam memorial wreath by Hales; Beikirch; Paul
Maynard, a three-time Purple Heart recipient; Dr. Dennis Faucher,
recipient of the Distinguished Service Flying Cross Air Battle;
Kastner; and Smethport Elementary School Children Escorts with
Elise Rosenswie;

* Laying of the POW/MIA wreath by POW/MIA Service and World War
II POW’s Robert Cochran, Lloyd Fiscus and Bart Barton;

* A U.S. Air Force fly-over by the service from Niagara Falls,
N.Y.;

* Lighting of candles and tolling of bells for Our Lost Veterans
by Vietnam veterans;

* Reading the names of lost veterans by Sonja Covert and Vietnam
veterans, who will escort family members to the wall;

* Memorial hymns by AOH Pipes and Drums of Olean, who will play
“Amazing Grace”;

* Reading of Psalm 23 by Glen Mencer;

* A Time of Tribute by Hales, Kastner and Beikirch;

* The Memorial Hymn “God Bless America”;

* Benediction by Virgil Daley;

* Honor The Dead, with a rifle salute and Taps by George
Tufts/NCOIC and Matt Bailey and Kevin Smith of Smethport Area High
School and the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars posts
memorial teams;

* Retiring of the colors with music and bagpipes by AOH Pipes
and Drum Group leading “The Mansions of the Lord.”