T-L Photos/CARRI GRAHAM A Beallsville Cemetery marble plaque honors the six soldiers killed in the line of duty.

BEALLSVILLE — It has been more than 40 years since a village in Monroe County lost six of its residents to the Vietnam War, and many still grieve the loss.

In a community with a population of roughly 400 people, the losses were tremendous and felt deeply by the community. In fact, the small village had the highest per-capita casualty rate of any U.S. community during the war.

Most of the Beallsville men who perished in the war are buried at the Beallsville Cemetery. Those six men are Duane Greenlee, Robert Lucas, Charles Schnegg, Jack Pittman, Richard Rucker and Phillip Brandon, who is buried elsewhere. All the young men were between 19 and 20 years old when they lost their lives.

The community of Beallsville has honored the men in various ways over the years, ensuring their memory will endure. In 2004, a memorial was built and dedicated to the Vietnam servicemen. A marble stone engraving was added in 2005, with the names of all six residing at the entrance of the cemetery.

Most recently, courtesy of the Better Business Bureau, the men have been commemorated with six honorary banners that are hung on large electric poles throughout the center of town. Each banner features the words “Beallsville’s Hometown Hero.” The middle has an American flag with the soldier’s photo, and below is their name and branch of service. There is also a flag that commemorates all veterans.

BBB member LaDonna Carleton went to Beallsville High School with almost all of the “boys,” as she calls them. She was also a planner and organizer of the banner installation. Carleton said they have been planning on installing the flags since last year but had to wait until this year so they could get all the photos from the remaining family members of the soldiers.

“We wanted to do something for the community. … I feel better now that they’re up,” she said.

The soldiers’ family members all came back to the area to see the banners being hung in May, she said.

“They probably never left this area until they went to the service,” Carleton said of the fallen warriors.

South Central Electric helped hang the flags. Beallsville Mayor John Gramlich, also a BBB member, wanted to thank the electric company for helping install the flags.

“The village really appreciates the electric company doing that,” Gramlich said.

Carleton and Gramlich said that the banner that hangs next to the Harper Funeral Home was specially requested to hang there by the owners. Bob Harper asked that Robert Lucas’s flag hang by his business.

“He was good friends with him in high school. He really felt good it got to put up there by his funeral home,” Carleton said.

The banners will hang throughout the village until November, then they will be put back up in the spring each year.

Among the six, 20-year-old Richard Lee Rucker’s life was cut short when he was killed by friendly fire on May 30, 1968, near Saigon. He entered the service just a year prior. He was an Army rifleman in the 12th Infantry.

Mary Wodarcyk, Rucker’s aunt, thinks of her nephew often and of the community’s great loss.

“One couple lost their only son. … There is still a lot of sadness there,” she said as she described the village’s agonizing loss all those years ago.

She said Rucker was a decorated soldier who was awarded medals including the Purple Heart, Bronze Star, Good Conduct, National Defense Service and Vietnam Service medals for his heroic service. He also received the Combat Infantryman Badge 1st Award, Republic of Vietnam Campaign Ribbon with Device (1960) and Sharpshooter Badge with Rifle Bar.

Wodarcyk said that in 2005, coinciding with the newly installed marble engraving, the “Moving Wall” was also present in Beallsville that year, honoring fallen soldiers.

“The Beallsville Legion posts, Better Business Bureau, other groups and individuals worked very hard to give these young men recognition for their bravery,” she said.

“One comment was made that the wall was brought to Beallsville as ‘more of a healing and kind of closure’ for the boys’ loss. The wall was brought here to honor them..”

Gramlich said that 400 volunteers helped with the wall and more than 20,000 people came through to see the wall in the five-day span it resided in Beallsville.

Wodarcyk said Rucker is survived by a sister, two aunts, half siblings and numerous cousins, many of whom still reside in Beallsville.

Once a month a new American flag is raised at Will’s Hill in Bridgeport in honor of a fallen veteran. In August, that honor belongs to Rucker at Wodarcyk’s request.

Wodarcyk first met Will’s Hill property owner Tom Tuefel three years ago when she had the flag raised for her ancestor who fought and died in the Civil War in 1863. Rucker will be honored with the flag-raising at Will’s Hill on Aug. 3.