Brothers Fallen in Battle: Remembering Montanans Fallen in the Vietnam War

More than 58,000 Americans died in the Vietnam War, which ended almost 50 years ago – their names are on the famous wall in Washington, DC. Among them are 266 from Montana. Today, five decades later, the effects are still felt. The fallen left behind grieving parents, children and partners. And they also left behind their brothers and sisters.

Bob Dunbar of Corvallis was only two years younger than his brother, who went to Vietnam. Specialist Doyle Dunbar, who served with the U.S. Army’s 101st Airborne Division, died in a helicopter crash in 1969.

“I’m very proud that my brother was killed in Vietnam. Not that I wanted that, but you know, that’s the way it is. My view of the Vietnam War is probably very different from most other people who lost people in the war,” Dunbar said.

When he learned of Doyle’s death, he was 18 and lying in bed at home waiting to hear if he had been accepted to the Air Force Academy.

“So now you have some kind of family disaster that says you probably shouldn’t go to the Air Force Academy. And we were poor and my education would have been paid. So I had to make a decision, but I decided to accept the call to the academy,” Dunbar said.

When the funeral came, Bob didn’t want to see his brother’s body.

“Because we were told he was killed by the flames. You know, when a helicopter lands on the ground, you come across a lot of gasoline and things like that. They always all start burning. I didn’t feel like doing that,” Dunbar said.

At the academy, he didn’t talk about what had happened to his brother. Even his roommate didn’t find out about it until he visited Bob at his mother’s house.

“It wasn’t that I wasn’t ashamed that my brother was killed in Vietnam, but I didn’t want that to become my credo, I guess I would say,” Dunbar said.

Bob has spoken more openly about the loss of his brother over the years. In 1994, he and his family went to the capital. He helped his two children find their uncle’s name on the Vietnam Memorial. Plate 27W, line 86.

“You know, in nine days it will be 55 years. I can still cry about that,” Dunbar said.

Bob’s grandson was born on the anniversary of his brother’s death, April 15th, which was always a difficult day for him and his family. Bob’s grandson will one day inherit all of Doyle’s memorabilia, from his brother’s shadow box, which contains all of his medals, to the funeral flag.

“In the end, he will be the heir to all of my brother’s things, whether he wants it or not,” Dunbar said.

Mary Kepler of Lewiston, Montana, also has a box full of memories of her brother, mostly letters he wrote and letters she later received from others he served with. Intelligence specialist Dennis Casey served in the 7th Infantry Regiment of the Marine Corps.

“He died in 1967, just 11 days before he was scheduled to be shipped home. So he was 14 years older than me, so, you know, he was my hero,” Kepler said.

She was just 11 years old when he died. It was a huge shock when he didn’t come home. The day she found out, she was at her friend’s house down the street and called to see how she was.

Her 16-year-old brother Mike told her she should go home.

“But I went back out the back door like I usually do. And my mom was the first to see me. She came over and hugged me and said, ‘Denny isn’t coming back.’ And I just thought, ‘Wow!'” Kepler said.

When the day of the funeral came, Mary remembers it being a dull and cloudy day. And up at the cemetery, what she remembers most is how far apart her family had lived.

“And our family was kind of, I don’t know, this is probably going to be very personal, but our family was kind of, you know, compartmentalized from each other, you know, instead of just really sticking together,” Kepler said.

Mary’s brother had such a huge influence on her life.

“I think Denny was the main reason I became a teacher. I thought so highly of him. I went to the same college as him,” Kepler said.

She is still very proud to tell anyone about her brother. He has been remembered in other places too. At Rocky Mountain College, a room was dedicated to him because of his great influence there.

A monument in his name was erected at the Yellowstone Boys Ranch. A bandstand was built at the Kendall Boy Scout Camp outside Lewistown.

Mary often told his story as a teacher in schools in Montana.

“I got to share with the public the letter that Denny wrote from Vietnam. In it, he asked, ‘When I get out of Vietnam, I’m really looking for a job. Can you please put my name on the list?’ So, you know, it was fun to share his love of education,” Kepler said.

Like Bob Dunbar, Mary is retired. More than 50 years after her brothers’ deaths, they are trying to educate their own children about the uncle they never met. Mary’s son, Ryan Dennis Kepler, takes his middle name from his uncle.

Mary has a photo of her daughter sitting on someone’s shoulder on the wall. She found Dennis Lee Casey, panel 22E, line 6.