Church remembers Vietnam soldiers
Grovetown United Methodist Church annually celebrates Heritage Sunday, a day of looking back at phases of church history - including what was happening in the church, Grovetown, the world and Methodism.
This year, the church will honor two of its sons killed in Vietnam.
The congregation will honor the life and accomplishments of Fred Mitchell, a serviceman at the church, who was killed in action in August 1967 at 28, and Cpl. Joseph Daniel "Danny" Goodale Jr.
Goodale was only 20 when he was killed in the Vietnam War in March 1969. The youth Sunday school classroom will be dedicated in his honor after the 11 a.m. worship service Sunday at the church. There's already a park in the city named for the soldier.
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"I love it," said Danny's aunt Evelyn Riggs, who still attends the church. "I think something should have been done for him a long time ago. he spent his short life in that church. I am thrilled over it.
Grovetown United Methodist Church will honor U.S. Army Cpl. Joseph Daniel "Danny" Goodale Jr., who was killed in the Vietnam War in March 1969.
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"We all miss him. It will be sad, but we will be proud."
He was an active member of the church and always involved with the church's youth congregation.
"Danny was a hometown boy. He was very special to everybody who knew him. He never missed a single day of public school and he only missed one Sunday his entire life of Sunday school. He was just one of those young men that everyone just adored," said church historian Kathy Ruddy. "So when we lost him, it was very, very hard for the entire community and the church."
Goodale was killed March 28, 1969, when he took an exposed position to defend his ambushed unit.
"Everybody that I have talked to has never had a bad word to say about him," Ruddy said. "They just say that he was such a wonderful young man and he was really a good Christian boy, very focused, a good student and studied hard looking forward to returning from Vietnam even before he got there, and getting on with his life."
Friends, classmates and fellow military service members are especially invited to the ceremony, which will be followed by a covered dish dinner in the Family Life Center. For more information, call the church at 863-6668.