Remembering the 'Owen 10'
Memorial Day ceremony honors former students lost to the Vietnam War
Fred McCormick
The Valley Echo
May 26, 2023
Many young men from the Swannanoa Valley left their homes to fight in the Vietnam War, which ravaged the Asian peninsula for 20 years. Ten former local students never returned.
Forever etched in stone, the names of Jerry Bruce Harris, Herbert Coleman Wright, Ronald Lynn Hurst, Billy Gary Stewart, John Williams Hansard III, James Onley Weaver, Donald Woodson Wright, Wesley Eugene Melton, Bruce Clinton Elkins and Wendell Lee Brown greet every person who walks into the main entrance of Owen High School.
As the nation prepares to remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice on Memorial Day, a ceremony hosted by the school’s JROTC program, May 26, honored the memory of the “Owen 10.”
The somber gathering was attended by dozens of community members, including representatives from Black Mountain VFW Post 9157, the Black Mountain Fire Department and Owen students, faculty and administration.
Attendees were welcomed by Cadet Sergeant Major Ethan Barnwell, who thanked the crowd for attending and “remembering the cost of freedom.”
The Warhorse Color Guard presented the American flag for the national anthem, which was performed by the Owen High School Senior Ensemble.
Barnwell shared a brief history of Memorial Day, which was created in 1868 to honor fallen service members in the Civil War. The junior read General Order No. 11, issued by Commander in Chief John A. Logan of the Grand Army of the Republic.
The order designated May 30 a day to decorate the graves of those who died in defense of their country, and “now lie in almost every city, village and hamlet church yard in the land.” Logan’s order required no formal ceremony, but called for observers to arrange fitting services to suit their communities. The framework of the decree became the foundation for Memorial Day, which was declared a national holiday in 1971.
“Today, we use this order to honor every uniform service member who gave their life to defend our freedom,” Barnwell said. “Today, we honor the 10 Owen Warhorses who lost their lives during the Vietnam War.”
Most, including J. Bruce Harris, H. Coleman Wright, Jr., Ronald L. Hurst, Billy G. Stewart, John W. Hansard III, J. Onley Weaver, Wesley E. Melton and Bruce C. Elkins, were not much older than current Owen seniors. Others, such as Donald W. Wright, who graduated from Black Mountain High School before it was absorbed into Owen, and Wendell Lee Brown, were not much older.
All of their names echoed from a PA system over the silent campus, as Barnwell read them aloud.
The stone, horseshoe-shaped structure, which contains three flagpoles and a granite Vietnam Veterans Memorial marker honoring “those from the Swannanoa Valley who served, and in memory of those who died.,” was erected in 1992, as Owen moved from its former campus at the current middle school. Approximately 50 community members, including local Vietnam Veterans Marshall Blankenship and Carroll Hipps, campaigned and fundraised to establish the permanent memorial.
Today, Barnwell said in his speech, the site serves to represent all of those who gave their lives in service to the country. The speaker introduced Owen Principal Dr. Samantha Sircey and Cadet Sergeant Major Remy Sellers placed a remembrance wreath at the base of the memorial, which was followed by senior Katiana Wilhelm’s playing of taps.
“May we never these heroes of the Valley,” Barnwell concluded.