With persistence, Lee’s Summit man found Vietnam War vet his rightful recognition
For Lee’s Summit resident Steve Kilde, Memorial Day this year was more than just a ceremonial occasion. It was the culmination of years of work to honor a fellow soldier who died in the line of duty.
Kilde, a career Army man, served in Vietnam with Spc. 5th Class Frank Mebs, a man he met in 1968 when he was an instructor during Mebs’ training at Fort Leonard Wood, located about an hour and a half northeast of Springfield.
From Kilde’s work as an engineering equipment maintenance sergeant for a battalion in Vietnam, he remembers Mebs as a meticulous and responsible person.
“He’d always come by our shop and wanted his equipment looked at. He found a squeak, he found a noise, then he would want it checked out. He wanted everything perfect, so if he was called to do a job of some sort, he was ready to go,” Kilde said.
Kilde got the call early in the morning on May 27, 1970, that there had been an explosion when a mortar hit an ammunition dump at Fire Support Base Veghel, where Mebs was stationed. Mebs had attempted to protect the rest of the base by using a bulldozer to cover the fiery spot with dirt.
While doing this, Mebs was caught in an explosion that killed him and destroyed the bulldozer. Kilde, who helped load Mebs’ body onto a helicopter after the incident, believes Mebs saved hundreds of lives with his actions.
Kilde moved on, staying with the Army until 1983, then spending 43 years working for the federal government. In 2014, someone suggested he get checked for PTSD. When the doctor he consulted asked if he’d ever seen a dead person, Kilde remembered Mebs.
He’d thought of Mebs periodically over the years when he visited the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, “panel 10 west, line 110,” but the doctor suggested he try to do something more.
When Kilde searched Mebs’ name on the computer, he noticed that several awards were missing from Mebs’ service record. Some had been awarded to the unit when Mebs was part of it, and Kilde had even witnessed the medal ceremony where Mebs got another one. The missing honors included the Vietnam Gallantry Cross.
Finding that out was the easy part. Getting someone to make the appropriate changes and give the missing medals and ribbons to Mebs’ family—that would be much more challenging.
In 2018, he contacted the Mebs family and got photos of the medals and ribbons they had. They were missing approximately four medals and 10 ribbons.
He sent letters to various legislators over the following years to find someone who could help. Kilde said a congressman in Pennsylvania declined to help because Kilde wasn’t a constituent, despite the fact that Mebs’ family residence was in his constituency.
With every letter he sent, he gave a duplicate to the Mebs family, so they could track the progress. Kilde estimated he contacted 50 to 60 people via phone, mail and email.
“I wouldn’t do anything unless family OK’d it,” Kilde said.
Finally, he got the answer he wanted, but there was just one snag.
“Once they were approved, I got emails from the federal government saying, ‘We will issue these medals in 2027.’ I said, ‘No. This guy’s been dead for 54 years. We need them before then,’” Kilde said.
Kilde prevailed and got the medals this spring. His friend and fellow John Knox Village resident Bill Perry helped him make a shadow box to display the awards.
On Memorial Day this year, he finally presented them to the Mebs family in Pennsylvania.
He doesn’t know exactly why the problem with Mebs’ honors occurred, but he suspects the people doing the man’s death notification in 1970 didn’t file the right paperwork.
With help from the Pennsylvania Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund Committee, which is getting local bridges in Pennsylvania named for veterans, Kilde was able to see a small bridge in Newtown, Pennsylvania, named for Mebs while he was there presenting the medals.
At that ceremony, he spoke with Mebs’ niece.
Kilde said, “After she gave her talk, she said, ‘I’m sorry I could never hug my uncle. Steve, can I hug you, for my uncle?’”
