SOUTH HADLEY — In 1968, a young Susan Opalenik stared out of the window of her intermediate junior high school classroom at the American flag, realizing its position at half-mast was for her cousin.

Robert J. Sowinski was a corporal in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War. Born in 1947, Sowinski graduated South Hadley High School in 1965 and was drafted into service a year later. On April 10, 1968, Sowinski died from injuries when a truck he was riding in struck a mine.

Opalenik remembers Sowinski’s close relationship with his brother Donald, and admiration of the Beach Boys.

“I heard his mother once say that she wished she had sent him to Canada,” Opalenik said.

For the first time, Opalenik attended South Hadley’s annual Vietnam Veteran Day Ceremony on Thursday to represent Sowinski and his family, and help dedicate a Purple Heart town sign engraved with her cousin’s name.

“War is such a horrible thing that takes so many lives,” Sowinski said. “We must never forget those who lost their lives, honor our veterans and those who are currently serving our country. Thank you for this special moment that’s dear to my heart.”

Organized by South Hadley American Legion, Sons of the American Legion, VFW and The Military Order of the Purple Heart, the event held in the South Hadley Library honored the Vietnam veterans whose sacrifices during service and advocacy for veterans after the war improved  the quality of life and attitudes toward veterans for future generations.

“That generation of Vietnam veterans vowed to never let another generation of veterans return from combat to a lack of homecoming,” said Brian Willette, Commander of The Military Order of the Purple Heart in Massachusetts. “They made the [Veterans Association] what it is today. They made the vet centers and really forced the veteran service organizations to specifically lobby Congress for legislation that would help them cope with the aftermath of war.”

The annual event in South Hadley takes place on or near Vietnam Veterans Day, which occurs on March 29. Signed into law in 2017, the day recognizes the 9 million U.S. Army and uniformed service personnel who served between Nov. 1, 1955, and May 15, 1975. The first South Hadley ceremony honoring Vietnam veterans from South Hadley, Granby and Holyoke occurred in 2017.

As part of honoring Vietnam veterans, the VFW orders and dedicates Purple Heart town signs engraved with names of fallen Vietnam veterans from South Hadley, Granby and Holyoke. If a sign falls or is ruined, the VFW will replace and rededicate the signs. Sowinski’s sign went missing, and three-time Purple Heart recipient Lenny Desrocher’s sign fell off on Route 202.

As a member of the U.S. Marine Corps, Desrocher completed three tours in Vietnam between 1966 and 1968. The Granby resident was wounded each year he served, receiving a Purple Heart for each tour. He joked that between his injury track record and the machine gun he operated during service, “none of the Purple Heart guys will get next to me because they said, ‘That guy’s dangerous.’”

“I started with the 1st Marine Division, 1st battalion, 5th regiment, built the company, lost a lot of guys there and those are the ones that really should be honored. The ones that got the Purple Heart and never got to come home, but they fought side by side with me,” he said.

Willette explained how “Vietnam veterans have very profound effect on us” as soldiers and people. As a kid, Willette admired the service and sacrifice of these veterans. As a solider, Willette’s platoon sergeants, sergeant majors and company commanders all served in Vietnam, and their mentorship left a lasting impact on him.

“They taught us about soldier first of all, and a little bit about life,” he said.

Vietnam veterans also changed the narrative around veterans. State Sen. Jake Olivera said his generation learned how to separate the politics of war from the troops’ sacrifice during the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

“The decisions that politicians make in Washington have an impact on those that are serving, but those that are serving aren’t making those decisions,” he said. “You who served in Vietnam did not make those decisions, but you pay a lot of sacrifice for us to have the ability to be here and thrive and have the conversations that we need to have in this day and age.”

Toward the end of the ceremony, Willette took a moment to appreciate South Hadley’s Veteran Service Director Mike Slater, who is leaving to work at the Veterans Administration.

Slater, Willette and Willette’s wife Gina collaborated on many of South Hadley’s events and programs. Willette said Slater connected the town’s veterans organizations to municipal boards and agencies, ushering Willette’s ideas into reality.

“We have done some amazing stuff with every different aspect of the town with the police force with the Select Board,” Slater said. “South Hadley really does lead the way when it comes to what veteran services means and we’re helping to shape it for the rest of the state.”

The end of the ceremony sounded “Taps” for the local veterans killed in action during Vietnam. Veterans from Holyoke killed in action were Leonard Lee Kaster, Stanley P. Kierzek, Robert George Bousquet, Neil Olin Richey, David Lee Owens, Ronald Giroux, Thomas Martin Seklecki, George Donald Lucas Jr., Donald Arthur Labonte, Clayton Kenneth Hough Jr. and Vincent Owen McCann Jr.

South Hadley’s veterans included Valmore William Bourque, Ralph Bamford Walker, Clinton Morrell Rhoades, Robert Joseph Sowinski, Marc John Kuzma, Jeffrey William Rainaud,  Paul Dennis Fleming and Harold Joseph Shea. Two of Granby’s veterans were also honored: Kenneth Raymond Brown and Richard Wright Ellison.

Emilee Klein can be reached at eklein@gazettenet.com.