by Rosa Jimenez

Most Walla Walla College alumni share a similar experience of a few years spent in the relative tranquility of a small college campus. However, in the 1960s the Vietnam War touched this quiet campus and the lives of several WWC students.

I first became aware of these alumni veterans in college when I met Joe Carrigan, a Vietnam War veteran. Joe was a new Seventh-day Adventist when we met at WWC in the mid 80s. I have forgotten some of Joe’s stories, but I clearly remember him demonstrating to me how he would sweep through the jungle landscape for land mines. Since then I haven’t thought about the Vietnam War without thinking about what it must have been like for those who went. And those who didn’t.

In this issue are the stories of three former WWC students who found themselves caught up in the difficult struggle of the war. Richard Harter, Gary Thietten, and Fred Troutman left secure confines to serve as medics in Vietnam. Their stories illuminate the struggles endured by the handful of WWC alumni who served and how their lives were shaped by those experiences.

Their stories open questions about the lasting legacy of the war. What was happening at WWC during the Vietnam era? What about the young men who didn’t come home?

One of the most tragic consequences of the war is evident at the Vietnam War Memorial where the names of all the soldiers who died or are missing in action are listed, including the names of two young men who had been WWC students.

Daryl Meidinger would have been a senior engineering major when he was drafted in the fall of 1968. The night before he left for Vietnam he stayed at the home of WWC alum Darrell Johnson. Johnson knew Meidinger from their days together at Walla Walla College Academy. “Daryl was my best friend. He was the first person I met when I started going to academy as a sophomore,” says Johnson. “He was so outgoing and friendly; we became friends right away. The night before Daryl left for Vietnam he stayed at my house. I felt guilty because I thought I should be going too, but I was happy I didn’t have to. He seemed upbeat. We talked about basketball, girl friends, high school—I guess almost anything to avoid the topic of Vietnam. That’s the last time I saw him.”

Daryl was killed on April 30, 1969. In the book Bold Venture: A History of Walla Walla College, author Terrie Aamodt relates how Daryl’s funeral in the College Church affected the school. “The Vietnam War had come home to College Place, and the entire campus grieved.”

A year earlier WWC students had mourned the death of Paul Beddoe, a student who joined the Marines the summer after his freshman year. Paul chose to enlist after he was suspended from WWC for tossing a firecracker out of a dormitory window. Paul’s older sister Gladys Beddoe recalls Paul’s decision. “After his experience he became disenchanted. Figuring he would get drafted anyway, Paul joined the Marines. He went to Vietnam with honorable intentions but he realized he had misjudged what the war was about,” she says. Sent into battle at the beginning of the Tet Offensive, Paul died on January 21, 1968. “Paul was an outstanding young man. He was very interested in politics and was involved with Boy’s State [mock government]. He was an outstanding speaker and won awards for his ability,” Gladys says.

Besides these two former students, Bold Venture mentions the names of other Vietnam veterans, but regretfully, no official campus records exist of WWC students who served in the Vietnam War.

In the absence of lists and records, we offer stories of three young men. Thank you Richard Harter, Fred Troutman, and Gary Thietten. You have answered some of my questions.

Rosa Jimenez is editor of Westwind.

Previous issues
Winter 2000
Spring 1999

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