BELDING, Mich. — A California woman is traveling to all 50 states to lay bricks in honor of a veteran who went missing during the Vietnam War. She made a stop at Denny Craycraft Veterans Freedom Park in Belding on Monday.
Michigan is number 31 on Kathy Strong’s national tour.
While here, Kathy laid a brick in honor of SFC James Moreland, who went missing in action on Feb. 7, 1968 in Lang Vei, Vietnam. His body was found 43 years later in 2011.
Kathy says she first heard about Moreland’s story on Christmas four years after his disappearance.
“In my stocking, I received a POW MIA bracelet, sterling silver,” Kathy recalls. “I put it on my left wrist and I promised to wear it until he came home.”
Kathy fulfilled that promise, saying she always felt a connection with Moreland.
“About a year after he went missing, I received a photo and a small biography about him,” she says. “And in the picture, he had such an intense look in his eyes. It was as if to say, ‘Please don't forget me.’ And I never did.”
But Kathy wanted to do more to honor his memory.
“I went on a quest to put a memorial brick for him in all 50 states,” says Kathy. “I want to know that on Memorial Day, no matter what state you live in, there's somewhere that you can go and honor him.”
Kathy applauded Belding's Vietnam War memorial, calling it “impressive.”
“This looks more like something you would see in a big city, but it's just a small town,” she says. “They've really outdone themselves and it's just amazing.”
What’s next for Kathy? She plans to leave another two bricks this Tuesday.
“I'm going to … White River Junction, Vermont, and then Boscawen, New Hampshire,” she tells us.
Before she goes, she wants everyone to remember one important thing.
“I just want to make sure that our Vietnam vets are not forgotten,” says Kathy. “Sometimes people just think of it as numbers and there are actual people behind those numbers.”
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