Blairsville [PA] Senior High School 1963-67

This is Blairsville PA Senior High School in Indiana County when it was new in 1963. L/Cpl. Dave Auen went to school here as I did, my girlfriend Deborah Rugh, friends Larry Clawson, Pam Hogue, Jodi Startari, Neil Kok, Pat Voytek, Dana Gould, Sue Luchsinger, Patrick Ilhi, Gary Barnhart, and about 400 other wonderful kids. You were and are the greatest. This site is dedicated to Dave Auen, USMC KIA 7Jun1968 and his Delta 1/26 Marine buddies... But if it had a second reason for being it would be for the greatest High School in the World, Blairsville Senior High School and the Blairsville Bobcats, Halloween colors and all - tramp all over the Homer Center Wildcats, hah... By the way, my five children grew-up in Laura Lamar - hah - so after writing this I'd better sleep with one eye open... Hey, love you kids... Homer Center's the best [Yeah, right, what a crock of liverwurst that is]... Go Bobcats, Stomp the Wildcats... I'm mean, what kind of mascot is that? The Wildcat is an imaginary creature... Why not have a Unicorn? I would pay $100 to watch Ernie Widmar spit on Rick Faust's shoes... hahaha... just a little friendly inter-district rivalry...

Dave Auen graduated from BSHS in 1967 and immediately enlisted in the USMC [The Marine Corps]... He was in Viet Nam early in November 1967 and was shot and killed on 7 June 1968 in a place called Happy Valley, Quang Nam Province in the mountainous Central Highlands region near Da Nang. It's a jungle with tigers, elephants and beautiful primates and orchids. He was near a group of hamlets known as My Loc. By all accounts Dave made an excellent Marine, he was brave but not careless, he did it by the book. It had been over 110 degrees and 90 percent humidity for several days, even the thought process gets sluggish. For whatever reason they penetrated behind concealed enemy lines and Dave and his 2nd Louie [2LT] Sam Hannah were shot point blank by the enemy. Their backup came upon the site and shot the 5 NVA troops in their trench. War isn't hell, Hell is hell, but war is a very reasonable facsimile.

I couldn't miss Dave anymore than if he was my own brother. I was in the United States Army Security Agency at the Presidio of Monterey California awaiting language classes when word of Dave Auen's death reached me. To say I was stunned is a massive understatement. I didn't know Dave's Dad Gene, a WW-II Veteran, or his Mom Iola but I did know his Sister slightly and I knew he had two brothers. Like 58,220 other families who lost a son, young husband, a Daddy, this hit Dave Auen's family very, very hard. Why? Why Dave? Why us? He was so young. He had so much to live for. He enjoyed life so much. And yes he did. He was well-liked and well-respected in the community. It has been almost 40 years. I would give my left arm [not my right, I'd starve to death] to talk for several hours to Dave and 2Lt. Sam Hannah or to bring them back to Blairsville for a few months and let them live and breathe. They are worth it, don't you think? I would also bring back the 5 NVA troops, I don't imagine they really wanted to kill Dave and Sam, it was their assignment. Remember Sam and Dave in your prayers and the 5 NVA soldiers who never went home to their families. Ask God to grant us some peace over these tragedies and the courage to make sure they don't happen again... God Bless Each Person Who Reads This And Takes It to Heart... With a Prayerful, Amen... - bill king