Memorial Day honors those who died in active duty

May 27—LENOIR — On Memorial Day, Monday, May 30, the nation will commemorate the men and women who gave their lives in service to the U.S.A.

One local man was inspired to join the armed forces after his uncle was killed in action during the Vietnam War.

Eddie Greene from Hudson is the nephew of Caney Luther Greene, known by his family as Luther, who died in Vietnam.

"We were like brothers, even though there was 12 years between us," said Eddie. "Whenever Luther came home, he stayed with us, and we'd go out together. I idolized him."

Luther Greene was born June 11, 1943 in Winston-Salem but grew up in Lenoir. He first joined the Army in 1960 and served in Korea and Germany before being deployed to Vietnam. He was engaged to Suzanne Moore from Columbia, South Carolina. They were to be married once he returned from Vietnam.

"He was quiet," Eddie said about his uncle. "He wouldn't talk much about [being in the Army], but I would tell everybody that he was going to Vietnam. I was very proud of him, and I still am."

Luther Greene was killed in Vietnam on Aug. 15, 1966, at the age of 23.

"It was tragic that he was killed," said Eddie. "With me looking up to him, it just made it that much worse. When Luther was killed, that was the first time I ever saw my dad cry."

Luther and his platoon were traveling toward a mountain at 5 a.m. when they were attacked. Luther suffered a head injury that most likely led to his death later that day.

"When you're in a battle, everything is just so chaotic," Eddie said.

Eddie remembers his uncle fondly. Luther had a red and white 1955 Chevrolet convertible that he loved dearly, Eddie recalled.

"That was his baby," he said.

Even though he was a quiet man, Luther was devoted to his family and spent a lot of time with his nephew and sister-in-law, Eddie's mother.

"He always called my mom Rose," Eddie said. "I don't know why. Mama had red hair, so maybe that's why he did it."

Eddie and his mother drove Luther to the airport when he was deployed to Vietnam. It was right after Thanksgiving. Sadly, Luther never came back home.

"There was one thing about my mother," said Eddie. "She would never take me to the airport, but she would come and get me. She said she took my uncle and he didn't come back, and she didn't want to do that to me."

Eddie joined the Marine Corps on Dec. 31, 1971. He said he was partly inspired by his uncle to join the armed forces, despite Luther discouraging him from doing so.

"The last letter that I got from him, I was only 12 years old, but I'd told him that I was going to be a Marine," Eddie said. "He wrote me back, he says, 'Go to college, get that idea out of your head, don't be a Marine.' Well, I did go to college, but I did it backwards."

Eddie said he was considered a "warmonger" when he was kid due to his love of reading books and watching movies about war.

"When Luther was killed, I made up my mind that I was going to join the Marines," said Eddie. "I was going to go to Vietnam, and I was going to get even ... that's what I wanted to do."

Eddie was in the Marine Corps until his retirement on June 7, 1994. During his time of service, he earned several medals and awards, the highest one being the Combat Action Ribbon.

"My combat action ribbon is equivalent to Luther's badge," said Eddie.

Luther won the following medals for his service: Bronze Star Medal, with "V" for Valor; Purple Heart; Good Conduct Medal; Army of Occupation Medal with Germany clasp; National Defense Service Medal; Vietnam Service Medal with three bronze service stars; Combat Infantryman Badge 1st Award; Expert Infantryman Badge; Republic of Vietnam Campaign Ribbon; Expert Badge with rifle bar; Sharpshooter Badge with machine gun bar; Marksman Badge with auto rifle bar; and Korea Defense Service Medal.

Eddie said that he wants people to be aware of the true significance of Memorial Day.

"It bothers me when somebody comes up to me and says 'Happy Memorial Day,' because Memorial Day is in remembrance," Eddie said. "Somebody told me to celebrate it because I made it back, but that's not what Memorial Day is for. I need people to understand that Memorial Day is not just races, picnics, and family gatherings. If it weren't for the gentlemen and ladies who gave their lives in the past, we wouldn't have a Memorial Day."

Eddie plans to attend at least one local Memorial Day event and then visit the Mulberry Baptist Church cemetery where his uncle and other members of his family are buried.

Eddie has been married to his wife, Barbara, for 48 years, and together they have two sons, Eddie Jr. and Bobby.

Visit www.caldwellcountync.org/veterans-services to learn more about local veterans services.

Go to www.virtualwall.org to view the virtual Vietnam Veterans Memorial, the physical version of which is located in Washington, D.C.