When news spread in 2003 of the death of James Dean Hon — a
longtime Littleton resident and Vietnam veteran — it struck a chord
with Gayle Browning.
Hon’s high school sweetheart, Browning had decades ago lost
touch with Hon and started a family with another man. Still, she
found herself impulsively driving to the Centennial home of Hon’s
parents, Paul and Evelyn, to confirm the news. Standing at the
front door she had not faced in 44 years, she didn’t know if the
couple still lived there, or if they would even remember her.
Remember they did, and Aug. 7, family and friends of Jim Hon
joined together to remember the man’s life, as he was posthumously
awarded a Purple Heart for his service with the U.S. Army during
the Vietnam War. The Purple Heart is a U.S. military award given to
those wounded or killed during battle.
“We will treasure it all our lives,” Paul said. “It recognizes
the service of our son and we couldn’t be more proud to accept it
for him. We’re sorry he can’t be here with us.”
Hon’s wartime experience left him wounded by shrapnel and
exposed to Agent Orange, which led to lung cancer and eventually
his death at the age of 56.
Presented by the Military Order of the Purple Heart, Junior Vice
Commander Paco Elizalde recounted the events that occurred Sept.
21, 1968, leading to the ceremony that day.
“They came under fire, and Sgt. Hon ran in to a radio pit and
called for help,” Paco said. “He was wounded in the arm and hand.
Had it not been for the radio by his head, he would have been
wounded much more.”
Jim Hon was one of many in his family to have served in the
armed forces. Paul and all five of his brothers served with the
U.S. Navy during WWII, while Evelyn’s brother was in the Air Force.
Hon’s brother Bill, who came to the ceremony from Santa Fe, N.M.,
had been a member of the Navy.
“We’re a very patriotic family,” Paul said. “It’s something we
have to do for our country. I’d do it again if I could.”
Paul and Evelyn had known their son was injured in combat, but
until recently did not know the details. While talking with
Browning that day, they expressed their wish to have the military
awards their son had earned, but never received. In 1968, Hon had
received a letter from the U.S. Army saying the awards were not
available.
Browning took this request seriously and started making phone
calls.
“They were just in a lot of pain and never had closure,”
Browning said.
After several Internet searches she was connected with Corinne
Hogg, a National Services officer with the Veterans Affairs
regional office in Lakewood, who helped her fill out the requisite
paper work. Three months after the forms had been mailed there was
still no word. Browning assumed the award had gotten lost in the
government shuffle. She made another phone call and found out the
Purple Heart had been processed, but would not arrive for a few
more months. Given the age of Paul and Evelyn, she asked if the
process could be sped up.
The Army obliged and within a week a FedEx package arrived for
Mr. and Mrs. Hon.
Browning said she thought the medals would come in the mail, and
maybe someone would do a small presentation at their home over
coffee.
Hogg and Elizalde had bigger plans. The official Aug. 7 ceremony
was planned at the Colorado Veterans Monument in downtown
Denver.
Word of the ceremony had been sent to an e-mail list of 71
fellow 1965 Littleton High graduates, including Curt Young. A
resident of Pleasanton, Calif., Young altered his vacation plans to
make the stop near his home town.
“We met in ninth grade and we bonded then and bonded through
life,” Young said of Hon. “He was my No. 1 best friend.”
The two remained friends after graduation, both serving in
Vietnam, and living together for a stint after they returned. Along
with Browning, Young helped present another keepsake to Paul and
Evelyn, a Purple Heart quilt made by a classmate now living in
Kansas that could not make the trip home this month.
“Everybody highly respected Jim because he was a leader in our
class,” Browning said. “He was just a good person.”
At the ceremony, Paul and Evelyn said they had trouble putting
into words just what Browning’s help meant to them.
“She’s our angel sent to us,” Paul said. “We can never repay her
for what she has done.”