Yarian Battling Cancer After Fighting In VietnamMENTONE - When Kosciusko County Veteran of the Month for October Rex Allen Yarian wasn’t able to make the County Commissioners meeting on Tuesday to be recognized, Veteran Service Officer Darryl McDowell found a work-around.
McDowell read Yarian’s biography at the Commissioners meeting and then presented Yarian with the framed certificate at Java Jack’s in Mentone on Thursday in front of Yarian’s friends, wife Diana and local media.
“It’s nice. It’s a nice thing to be ... I never thought I’d be veteran of the month. A lot of guys are,” Yarian said Thursday before McDowell presented him with the award.
Rex, who has been fighting non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma cancer as a result of his exposure to Agent Orange in Vietnam, has been battling the cancer for 12 years. On the way to Indianapolis last week for Rex’s cancer treatment, he and Diana were in an automobile accident, McDowell explained Tuesday, which is why they could not attend the Commissioners meeting. They suffered some bruising, but were otherwise OK.
Rex was born and raised as a resident of Kosciusko County, McDowell said in reading Rex’s biography. Rex was born Jan. 28, 1948, at Murphy Medical Center in Warsaw to Donald and Doris Yarian.
Rex graduated in 1966 from Mentone High School. He lived in Mentone after graduation and was drafted into the U.S. Army at age 20 and inducted on Feb. 14, 1968. His basic training was at Fort Campbell, Ky., followed by advanced infantry combat training at Tiger Land in Fort Polk, La.
Rex was sent to Vietnam as a “boots on the ground” combat soldier and arrived on July 21, 1968. He arrived toward the tail end of the second TET Offensive and left just before the third, McDowell said. Phase three was the turning point that ultimately led to the demise of Saigon in 1975.
“A lot of people don’t know that the TET Offensive was three phases. Everyone things that the TET Offensive happened this one period and that was it. And, by the way, some people think it was us. It was the enemy that did the TET Offensive. It was the North and Viet Cong,” McDowell said.
Rex was stationed in III Corps southern area covering Tay Ninh, Cu Chi and Saigon, where most of the Agent Orange spraying took place.
“I served with a bunch of guys that came about the same time. We still get together - well, we used to - we didn’t this year. There’s 12 of us that usually get together every year, like a reunion. But everybody is getting old and physical things and they just don’t ... We’ve got guys coming from New Jersey and North Carolina,” Rex said Thursday.
The group of guys would meet at different places around the country.
Diana said Rex has a great group of guys that have been meeting every year until Covid-19 hit. Most of the reunions have been in the east.
“And that’s been really good for him. I think that’s been good for his well-being. It’s been good to get together and they can talk together, but they can’t talk to other people,” Diana said.
She said Rex served in III Corps. “It was very heavily sprayed with Agent Orange and there are several of the guys in his platoon that he reunions with that have some disability from their exposure to Agent Orange, but he’s probably been battling this the longest. He has non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. It’s been quite a battle. I think out of the 12 years, there’s only been two years he hasn’t been in treatment, and it’s just from his exposure to that,” she said.
She said with him being boots on the ground, he would go wherever he was told to go. “Lot of foliage that they had to spray for,” she said.
October is National Agent Orange Awareness Month.
“I think he is pretty proud to be recognized because the Vietnam veterans have been a group of veterans that are pretty much overlooked ... ridiculed and stuff. It took years. It’s been probably the past 10 years that he’s been able to talk about it at all,” Diana said.
She said Rex and the others he served with became brothers for life.
“I’ve got one special buddy that lives down in North Carolina. He’s like a brother,” Rex said.
While on active duty, McDowell said Tuesday, Rex received these decorations and awards: National Defense Service Medal; Vietnam Service Medal with three Bronze Service Stars; Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal, Army Commendation Medal with “V” Device – with one Oak Leaf Cluster; Vietnamese Gallantry Cross with Palm; Valorous Unit Award; Combat Infantryman Badge; Marksman (Rifle M-16); Expert (M60 MG); Sharpshooter (Rifle M-14).
Upon returning from Vietnam on July 18, 1969, Rex was stationed at Fort Hood, Texas, to complete his service commitment.
Rex proudly served his country and returned to Mentone upon release from the service where he continued to live for many years.
He and Diana will be celebrating 50 years of marriage in November. They have two children, Mariah and Wesley, and they each have given Rex four grandchildren for a total of eight.
Also Thursday, McDowell told everyone present about Operation Greenlight. Courthouses across the country will be lit up in green the week of Nov. 7-13, including Veterans Day on Nov. 11, to recognize veterans. Businesses and homeowners are encouraged to also take part.
“It’s to recognize the veteran, to make sure that you’re seen, you’re appreciated and taken care of,” McDowell said.
The green light not only recognizes the veterans, but their families who make sacrifices as well, he said.
