Vietnam veterans rekindle bonds at Bemidji reunion

Dennis Doeden, The Bemidji Pioneer, Minn.
·3 min read
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Aug. 16—BEMIDJI — An evening on the calm, serene waters of Lake Bemidji was a far cry from the days these American soldiers spent in the jungles of Vietnam.

Twenty-seven members of an Army infantry platoon gathered in Bemidji last week for their annual reunion to rekindle friendships and reminisce about their time together in Vietnam more than 50 years ago.

"It's a rare brotherhood," said Dennis Clemenson of Bemidji, who organized and hosted the five-day event. "It's a tight bond."

The men have gathered annually for nearly 20 years, with a different veteran hosting each year. Many of them bring their spouses and significant others. This was the group's first visit to Bemidji.

The reunion, based at the DoubleTree Hotel, began with a social on Wednesday, Aug. 9. The next day included a ride around Lake Bemidji on two pontoon boats, followed by a Red Lake walleye dinner prepared by the Bemidji Fish Fry Crew at the Eagles Club. The reunion continued through Saturday night with a dinner and auction at the DoubleTree.

The auction is a part of every reunion as a fundraiser for future reunions or to help pay for travel and accommodations for comrades who are in need. Everyone brings items for the auction. Among the items at this year's auction was honey from Clemenson's farm near his hometown of Gonvick.

"We raised $2,500 this year," Clemenson said.

This reunion was special for Clemenson as he hosted two of the platoon members who saved his life in 1970 near enemy lines in Vietnam. Ramon Alvarado Gomez and Corris Sworn were with Clemenson on a three-man mission to set up Claymore antipersonnel mines.

Gomez was known as "PR" since he was from Puerto Rico. Sworn was from West Palm Beach, Fla.

"I was the new guy," Clemenson said. "They were weathered guys who had been through many of these missions."

The men were apparently spotted by the enemy as they set up the mines early one evening, aiming them toward North Vietnam. During the night, enemy fighters turned the mines around.

"I was walking back the next morning to pick up the Claymores," Clemenson recalled, "and PR said 'Clem, stop.' He saw the trip wire. Had he not noticed that I would have stumbled right into it and blown us away. He was a point man over there, so he knew what to look for that I wouldn't. There's no doubt it would have killed all three of us."

Later in the war, Sworn was badly injured when a fellow soldier stepped on an explosive device. Sworn spent more than a year recovering at Walter Reed National Medical Center, but eventually reenlisted and spent 29 years in the Army, including a stint as tank commander in Iraq in the 1990s.

Clemenson, Gomez and Sworn have their photo taken together every year at the reunion. This year, the photo was taken in front of Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox.

There were about 35 members of the platoon in Vietnam. Some were killed in the war, and a few others have since passed away. But all were remembered by the veterans who reunited in Bemidji last week.