Honoring Four Local Heroes – The faces and stories behind the names
Erected in 1992, the Northland Vietnam Veterans Memorial is modeled after the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., which bears the names of more than 58,000 Americans who died in the Vietnam War. The Northland memorial features 136 engraved names, all from the area.
Photo by Glenn Blaszkiewicz
On the Duluth Lakewalk, overlooking the waters of Lake Superior, 136 names are etched into black granite—each one a son of the Northland lost in the Vietnam War. The Northland Vietnam Veterans Memorial, modeled after the national wall in Washington, D.C., stands as a quiet sentinel of sacrifice.
This Memorial Day weekend, we share the stories behind four of those names—local young men who left home for war and never returned—gathered from The Wall of Faces project. From the website:
The Wall of Faces features a page dedicated to honoring and remembering every person whose name is inscribed on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. In an effort to further preserve the legacy of those who sacrificed all in Vietnam, VVMF is committed to finding a photo to go with each of the more than 58,000 names on The Wall. The Wall of Faces allows family and friends to share memories, post pictures and connect with each other.
PFC Norman Wayne Vincent – February 10, 1947 – January 2, 1967
Among the engraved names is Norman W. Vincent, who was just 19 years old when he was killed in Vietnam on January 2, 1967. Norm, as his family called him, grew up in a lively Duluth household with nine siblings. “There were ten of us,” his brother Bill wrote, in a tribute post in 2013. “We shared everything—roommates, friends, and even mischief.”
Norm played fullback during his junior year of football but didn’t return for his senior season. Instead, he focused on his relationship with Kathleen Pearson. “His senior year, he fell in love with Kathleen Pearson, and that pretty much consumed all his free time.”
After graduating from Duluth Central in 1965, Norm worked at Clyde Iron Works. In early 1966, he received his draft notice. Rather than wait, he enlisted in the Army, eventually joining the elite 101st Airborne Division.
He came home on leave that summer and married Kathleen before deployment in August.
“The sad news came in January 1967, a day no one in our family will ever forget,” Howard wrote. “Kathy lost a husband and their son Clinton was born two days later; he never had the opportunity to know his father.”
Even today, Howard finds it difficult to speak about Norm with those who never knew him. “Forty-six years [as of 2013] later and it still brings tears to my eyes and I struggle to talk about my big brother to people who did not know him when the subject of Vietnam comes up,” he wrote. “I do not know what else to say about my big brother Norm other than I still miss my best friend and I loved him dearly.”
SP4 Scott Douglas Baldwin – August 11, 1947 – June 2, 1969
Scott Douglas Baldwin was born on August 11, 1947, in Duluth, Minnesota. He graduated from Duluth Central High School in 1966, where he was known for his athleticism, particularly in basketball and baseball. After high school, he enlisted in the U.S. Army and was assigned to Company B, 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division.
Specialist Baldwin was deployed to Vietnam, where he served with distinction. Tragically, he was killed in action on June 2, 1969, in Long Khanh Province. His name is inscribed on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., on Panel 23W, Line 41.
Fellow soldiers and friends remember Scott for his courage, dedication, and the ultimate sacrifice he made for his country.
1LT John Lawrence Banks III – October 15, 1941 – March 29, 1966
First man from Superior Wisconsin killed in Vietnam
John Lawrence Banks III was born on October 15, 1941, in Duluth, Minnesota. He spent his early years on 4th Street in Duluth before his family relocated to Superior, Wisconsin. A neighbor from Duluth recalled, “John lived on the other side of our brick wall on 4th Street… I remember the sadness and disbelief in our neighborhood when we heard of his death. This was when I personally realized the impact of the war.”
John pursued higher education at the University of Minnesota Duluth, where he was an active member of the Alpha Nu Omega fraternity and participated in the Air Force ROTC Detachment 420. Upon graduation, he was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Air Force and underwent flight training, fully aware that his path would lead him to Vietnam.
Assigned as a co-pilot with the 29th Troop Carrier Squadron, 463rd Troop Carrier Wing, 13th Air Force, Lt. Banks operated the Lockheed C-130B Hercules aircraft. Tragically, he was killed in action on March 29, 1966, during a mission in Vietnam. He was the first man from Superior, Wisconsin, to lose his life in the Vietnam War.
First Lieutenant John Lawrence Banks III is honored on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., with his name inscribed on Panel 6E, Line 59.
PFC David Lenox Banks – November 11, 1948 – April 21, 1969
David Lenox Banks, seven years younger than his brother John, followed in his footsteps into military service. Born on November 11, 1948, in Duluth, Minnesota, David moved with his family to Superior, Wisconsin. Inspired by his older brother, David enlisted in the United States Marine Corps.
Assigned to Headquarters & Service Company, 1st Battalion, 7th Marines, 1st Marine Division, III Marine Amphibious Force, Private First Class Banks served as an assaultman. On April 16, 1969, while on bridge watch at Dai Loc, southwest of Da Nang, he was critically injured by an accidental discharge. He was evacuated to the hospital ship USS Sanctuary, where he died of his wounds five days later, on April 21, 1969, at the age of 20.
David is interred alongside his brother John and their mother, Elizabeth Rose Hawley Banks, in Greenwood Cemetery, Superior, Wisconsin. Their shared grave and shared story represent not only a family’s profound loss, but the quiet resilience that families across America carried through the Vietnam era.
This Memorial Day, visit the Northland Vietnam Veterans Memorial on the Duluth Lakewalk. Look beyond the names and into the lives they represent. Read the names. Say them aloud. Each belonged to someone—a brother, a son, a friend, a neighbor—and each left behind a legacy of service and the ultimate sacrifice.
