Dave Pasco
GREENFIELD — Two lifelong friends who graduated from Greenfield High School together in 1964 — and even died on the same day in 2022 — will soon make one more memorable milestone in tandem.
Dave Pasco and Harold Richey will become members of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund’s In Memory Honor Roll on June 15.
They will join four other Hancock County residents who have been honored by the In Memory program.
Pasco and Richey each enlisted in the U.S. Army after graduating from high school.
They both safely returned home and had successful careers, with Pasco settling back in Greenfield while Richey made his home in Wisconsin.
Both men volunteered their time to a variety of non-profit organizations in their respective communities. Pasco was the last remaining member of the family that operated Pasco Memorial Mortuary in Greenfield for four generations.
He and Richey remained friends and stayed in touch with each other their entire lives.
They both passed away on the same day — December 21, 2022.
Next weekend, they will be honored together in Washington D.C., along with 15 other Indiana veterans from around the state.
The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund (VVMF) is the nonprofit organization that founded the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, commonly known as The Wall, in Washington, D.C. in 1982.
The organization shared in a press release that the VVMF “continues to lead the way in paying tribute to our nation’s Vietnam veterans and their families. VVMF’s mission is to honor and preserve the legacy of service in America and educate all generations about the impact of the Vietnam War and era.”
The release goes on to say that “since the Vietnam War ended, thousands of Vietnam veterans have suffered each year due to Agent Orange exposure, PTSD/suicide, cancer and other diseases related to their service. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund’s In Memory program honors those veterans who served in Vietnam, returned home, and have now passed away.”
Jim Knotts, VVMF’s president and CEO, said many of Vietnam veterans’ battles began when they returned home.
“For many Vietnam veterans, coming home from Vietnam was just the beginning of a whole new fight,” he said. “Many never fully recovered, either physically or emotionally, from their experiences. As these veterans pass, it is our duty and solemn promise to welcome them home to the place that our nation has set aside to remember our Vietnam veterans,” he said.
The VVMF will add a total of 17 Indiana Vietnam Veterans into their In Memory Honor Roll this year. The annual ceremony takes place on the East Knoll of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, with each honoree’s name being read aloud by a family member, friend or volunteer.
Only 163 Hoosiers have been inducted into the VVMF’s Honor Roll since the program began in 1993.
A personal remembrance page for each honoree can be found at VVMF.org/honor-roll.
The inductees’ photos will also be displayed when VVMF’s mobile exhibit — The Wall That Heals — is on display in an honoree’s home state.
Pasco’s and Richey’s photos will be on display when The Wall That Heals visits Martinsville Aug. 15-18 this year.
Their induction ceremony June 15 will be shown live on VVMF’s Facebook page starting at 10 a.m.
The Indiana Vietnam veterans being honored at this year’s ceremony include:
David L. Lewellen (Anderson)
Jeffrey C. Byrnes (Brownsburg)
Thomas H. Combs (Columbia City)
Gary P. Davis (Elkhart)
Michael T. Horkavi (Gary)
David C. Pasco (Greenfield)
Harold P. Richey (Greenfield)
George H. Snow, Jr. (Greenwood)
David C. Kaminski (Hamlet)
John E. Threewits (Indianapolis)
Gilbert E. Hazel (Martinsville)
Rex A Yarian (Mentone)
Charles W. Hockersmith (Morristown)
Dean R. Larson (Munster)
Myron I. Brown (Terre Haute)
Albert E. Davis III (Terre Haute)
Jesse S. Allen (West Lebanon)
To learn more about VVMF, visit www.vvmf.org.
For information about the In Memory Honor Roll, including how to apply to have a loved one honored in 2025, visit VVMF.org/inmemory.
