A former Fayette resident was remembered during a recent Honor Flight trip made by local veterans to Washington, D.C. Robert Edward Paige was the first man from Fayette to be killed in the Vietnam War. Local veterans Chuck and Lou Thompson made a rubbing of Paige’s name, which is inscribed on Panel 16E, Line 106, on the wall of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. 

The Thompsons were among 96 veterans to make the trip to Washington, D.C., on August 21. Other local veterans to attend were George Befort, R. G. Kirby, Rich Smith, and Jake Moyer. The group visited the Vietnam Veterans, WWII, and Korean War memorials, along with the Lincoln Memorial, and watched the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery.

While in Arlington, the Thompsons were able to visit the grave of Lou’s great uncle, John Howell, a U.S. Army doctor in WWI, who later died as a result of exposure to chemicals during his service in The Great War.

“It was a wonderful trip,” Thompson said. “It was a great experience.”

He recalled that he and the other veterans were awake for about 42 hours to make the whirlwind trip.

“We were tired at times, but we had a wonderful time and were treated very, very well,” Thompson said.

The Central Missouri Honor Flight is a non-profit organization that transports our nation’s veterans from throughout Central Missouri to Washington, D.C., to visit and reflect at their memorials at no cost to them. Since 2009, the group has made nearly 70 trips. The veterans often receive a motorcycle escort from local patriotic riders during the last 20 miles back to Columbia, where they receive a well-deserved hero’s welcome.

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial was established in 1982 and is adorned with the names of more than 58,000 service members who gave their lives or remain missing. The memorial includes the Vietnam Veterans Memorial wall, the Three Servicemen statue, and the Vietnam Women’s Memorial.

Pfc. Paige was 20 years old and had been in Vietnam for only about two months when he was killed in an ambush. Born on February 9, 1947, to Mr. and Mrs. George Barnett, he attended Fayette High School, where he played football and ran track, graduating in 1965. Following graduation, he worked for the post office department in Kansas until his induction into service.

Paige took his basic training at Ft. Leonard Wood. He began his tour on January 10, 1967, as a member of the 9th Infantry Division. He was killed on March 18, 1967, in Binh Long, South Vietnam. His body was returned to Fayette, where he received burial with full military honors in the Fayette City Cemetery.

Editor John Hurt wrote in the March 25, 1967, Democrat-Leader, “That the loss of life of the Fayette boy who had just turned 20 is regarded as a loss felt by the entire community.”

Roy Skillman, who was Mayor of Fayette in 1967, issued a proclamation calling on Fayette residents to pause in their daily tasks and give recognition to the soldier who gave his life in the performance of his military duty.

Victor McCoy, President of the Fayette Chamber of Commerce at the time, issued the following statement. “Death in battle in Vietnam has come close to home. It behooves all of us who live in the Fayette community to salute the young soldier whose life was lost in a fight for freedom. We express our deepest sympathy to the family of Robert Paige.”

In 1998, the name of Liberty Park in Fayette was changed to Paige-Liberty Park in his honor.

Another young man from this area was killed in action on the same day as Pfc. Paige. Robert Westfall, Jr., son of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Westfall of Higbee, was killed during an ambush on March 25, 1967, just seven days before his 20th birthday. His body was also returned, and he was buried with full military honors following a service in the Higbee High School auditorium.