The Wall draws many memories
Thursday, near The Wall That Heals, stood William C. "Bill" Perkins wearing a gray flight
jacket, red cap, and red epaulets,He recalled the day his medical evacuation helicopter went
down in Vietnam. Perkins remembers what his crew chief Spec. Kenneth Lamborn did a few
moments before dying — an action that probably saved Perkins' life.Lamborn pulled back
Perkins' armor shield, allowing him to escape the burning aircraft. Then, after getting out
himself, Lamborn was struck and killed by a cook-off of small-arms rounds (ammunition set off
by the fire) from inside the chopper."These 19 and 20-year-old medics and crew chiefs were the
true heroes of the Vietnam War," said Perkins Thursday.They did everything from tending the
wounded to delivering babies for Vietnamese women, he said. "The humanitarian role they
played toward the Vietnamese people is rarely brought out," said Perkins.On the grass next to a
nearby section of The Wall — a section etched with Spec. Kenneth Lamborn's name — are a
framed citation, flowers and an American flag. The Friday, December 8 edition of the Temple
Daily Telegram has in-depth coverage of “The Wall that Heals” ceremony and the day’s events.