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CANTON, OHIO'S VIETNAM VETERANS AND AULTMAN HOSPITAL PAY TRIBUTE TO 1ST. LIEUTENANT SHARON A. LANE, USA 7 JULY 43 - 8 JUNE 69
June 1969. The war in Vietnam raged with unabated fury. Casualties continued to mount in the fierce fighting between communist troops and U.S. and South Vietnamese forces. President Richard Nixon met with South Vietnamese President Thieu to discuss the gradual withdrawal of U.S. troops as we turned the war over to the South Vietnamese. On the night of June 7-8, the Viet Cong launched rocket attacks against many U.S. held areas in the northern provinces of South Vietnam. Among the casualties in these attacks was a U.S. Army 1st Lieutenant from Canton, Ohio, who was killed when rockets struck the 312th EVAC Hospital at Chu Lai, South Vietnam. Her name was Sharon Ann Lane.
January 1986. Canton, Ohio's Chapter #199 of the Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA), took a very important and dramatic step by naming itself Sharon Lane Memorial Chapter #199, as a tribute to 1st LT Lane. This action not only honored this local woman for her sacrifice in the line of duty to her country, but indicated the increasing amount of VVA support for the 10,000 women who served in Vietnam. The VVA, a nationally chartered veterans organization established for men and women who served in the U.S. Armed Forces during the Vietnam Era (1961-1975), is primarily interested in protecting the interests of Vietnam Vets nationwide by promoting, researching and distributing information of importance to Vietnam Veterans and their families. By naming this local chapter after Sharon, these VVA members have taken a step towards recognizing the contributions of all the women who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces.
Sharon Ann Lane was born in Zanesville, Ohio on July 7, 1943. She later moved to Canton with her family, and graduated from Canton South High School in 1961. She attended the Aultman Hospital School of Nursing in Canton and graduated in 1965. Sharon worked as an RN in the civilian sector for three years prior to entering the armed forces. Like many other young women of this period she was concerned by the fighting and suffering going on in Vietnam, and with characteristic energy, the petite, determined, brunette...