'It's long past due': Crestwood High fieldhouse to be dedicated to students killed in Vietnam

While a sign and bronze plaque at Crestwood High School's athletic fieldhouse are new, they fulfill a promise made more than 50 years ago.

The sign announces Crestwood Athletics Memorial Fieldhouse, and the plaque includes the names of four Crestwood students who died in the Vietnam War.

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"We just must never forget what they've sacrificed for our freedom," said Bonnie Zoller-Collier, a sister of Robert W. Zoller II, one of the four men.

The others are Denver J. Berkheimer, Kenneth R. Keefer and John E. Lorence.

The fieldhouse will be rededicated at 11:30 a.m. Saturday during the Don Faix Invitational track meet that honors the former Crestwood teacher and coach. The plaque is visible on the fieldhouse's south side, in the concession area.

The effort to honor the servicemen began when Tim Benner, a Mantua-Shalersville firefighter and local historian, raised the matter Oct. 10 during a Crestwood School Board's meeting.

"The field house, when it was being constructed back in '70 and '71, the intent was it was going to be a memorial fieldhouse for the Crestwood students that had been killed in the Vietnam War," Benner told the board.

Benner researched on the matter, including tracking down old Record-Courier articles at Reed Memorial Library in Ravenna. He also had his own memories of when the fieldhouse was completed.

"I attended the ceremony as an eighth-grader," he said. "We were in flag football then, and we stood on the football field under lights at night. And apparently this has been lost to time."

He said items related to the dedication once were displayed at the fieldhouse, but they've disappeared. He said it was clear the intention was to honor the four Crestwood students.

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"It was built with volunteer material, volunteer labor, volunteer expertise, as a memorial fieldhouse for the four kids that were from Crestwood that were killed in Vietnam," he said.

Crestwood Superintendent Dave Toth asked Benner to send him his research.

"I just have the utmost respect for any veteran, anybody that goes over and serves, and, God forbid, loses their lives," Toth said. "It takes a special kind of bravery and their families make the sacrifices so anytime you could recognize veterans or men and women that served the country, I think everybody should do it."

Toth said that through Benner, the district commissioned the plaque from International Bronze Plaque Company, a company owned and operated by veterans in Fort Myers, Florida.

Zoller and Keefer also are mentioned on a memorial Mantua placed in 2021 in Hillside Cemetery to honor village residents killed in any war. Benner said Lorence lived in Mantua Township and is part of a KIA memorial there. Berkheimer, he said, lived in Shalersville.

Benner said the wound from the students' deaths was "fresh" when the fieldhouse was built.

"It was a big deal back then," he said. "I mean, because you had a lot of different people. You had, like, the local companies donate materials and labor, supplies. And it was fresh. You just had basically in a period of three years, you had four KIAs."

'Everything is going OK so far'

Benner said it appears Berkheimer's family left the area decades ago, and despite his efforts, he hasn't been able to locate them.

Berkheimer was remembered in a brief Record-Courier article about his death on May 22, 1968.

Berkheimer, a Marine lance corporal, graduated from Crestwood High School and Mahoning Valley Vocational School, where he had studied bookkeeping and accounting.

He enlisted in the Marines in 1965. After training at Parris Island, S.C. and Camp Lejeune, N.C., he was stationed at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba before he was sent to Vietnam in August 1967.

Berkheimer was shot in combat on Oct. 13, 1967, but survived. His mother, identified in the story as Mrs. Robert L. Berkheimer, said that after she wrote to him about his injury, her son replied, "It was nothing, Ma. Don't worry about it."

But the following May, he was fatally shot in the head and died at age 21. His mother told the Record-Courier that Berkheimer was considering extending his stay in Vietnam another six months when his tour ended in that August.

In a letter to his parents, Berkeimer wrote, "Mom and Dad, everything is going OK so far. I only have 76 more days to go here. But I can't have anther week like this. It's been a rough week."

He died before his parents received the letter.

Short, but 'a fighter'

Keith Keefer learned his younger brother had been killed on June 7, 1967, when his sergeant told him while he was serving in the Army in Germany.

"He got shot in the head when he was loading wounded onto a helicopter," he said.

Keith Keefer, who now lives in Florida, will not be able to attend the rededication. He said he and his brother knew the Zoller family.

Kenneth Keefer attended Crestwood High School until the family moved to Streetsboro in his sophomore year. Keith Keefer said his brother was short-statured, but it actually worked for him.

"He was likable," said Keith. "Girls all liked him because he had the baby face. A little guy and had a baby face. He could put his arm around girls that had big jocks for boyfriends but they wouldn't care because he was just a little guy. They weren't afraid of him taking their girlfriends and he sat there with his arm around the girls."

But Kenneth wasn't a pushover. "He was kind of tough because everybody would think he was easy because he was short. But he was a fighter," said Keith Keefer.

Kenneth Keefer joined the Marines shortly after graduation, and was killed two months after he was sent to Vietnam.

Because of his size, Kenneth Keefer was a "tunnel rat," his brother said. According to the National Museum of the United States Army, the Viet Cong used tunnel networks as part of their attack. Because of the tight spaces, the U.S. military recruited smaller-sized men to infiltrate the tunnels.

Keith Keefer said his brother looked after everyone. His high school friends tended to be kids who were shy or had some form of disability that made them targets of bullies. "He kind of always did watch after the little guys," said Keith.

In April 1968, the Record-Courier reported that the U.S. Navy had posthumously awarded Marine Lance Cpl. Kenneth Keefer a Bronze Star with Combat V for bravery due to heroic actions while serving as a rocket gunner on a search and destroy mission. He was cited for holding his position while under heavy fire, and then helping to load wounded Marines onto a helicopter. After loading one wounded Marine into a helicopter, Kenneth Keefer was shot while returning for more wounded.

Decorated for heroism

Benner said some of Lorence's nieces and nephews are expected to attend the rededication, but all were born after he died. Benner has not reached any family members who knew him.

So information about him is limited to a couple of articles published before and after his death on June 8, 1969. He was married, and prior to his enlistment worked for the Mantaline Corp. and at a Kroger warehouse in Solon.

He enlisted in the Army in August 1968, went to Vietnam as a specialist-4, and expected to return in September 1969. He was awarded a Bronze Star for heroism in April 1969. The circumstances of his death were not reported.

A 'great person'

Robert Zoller was killed July 2, 1970, but his family did not learn of the death until Independence Day.

"Not a very welcome way to start a holiday weekend," said his older brother Ralph "Bill" Zoller. "We're a close family. It was very hard for my parents. I don't think my father ever got over it. It changed him."

Bill Zoller said his family had a history of military service. An uncle served during World War I, and their father had been a naval officer during World War II. A cousin served during the Korean War, and Bill Zoller had been in the Army National Guard during the Vietnam War.

When military personnel arrived to tell Zoller's parents about their son's death, they mistakenly visited Bill's house next door. He then walked with them to his parents' home, where the news was broken.

Bonnie Zoller-Collier said Robert Zoller apparently was in a foxhole while his unit was under attack and it is believed he was shot while trying to retrieve his gun. According to an article reporting Zoller's death, he was a machine gunner with the 101st Airborne Division.

Bonnie Zoller-Collier said a friend of Zoller's was with him, and had been seriously wounded, but survived.

"He contacted my parents and family years later, and even came to meet all of us and share that with us," said Zoller-Collier. "He really struggled with the whole situation. It's hard to even begin to try to imagine what they went through and and how it would have made such a lasting effect on on all of them. So that's why I say we are forever grateful for our freedom."

Barbara Zoller, Robert's other sister, said she was 17 when her 20-year-old brother died. She was at home when the news came. She recalled her mother was making coffee when the men came to the door. Afterwards, she and Bill Zoller went to get Bonnie, the youngest child who then was 13. She was in the school's marching band in the Independence Day parade.

"Even though we didn't have the social media of today, news like that would kind of hit people quick and we didn't want her to find out from somebody else," said Barbara.

She said her brother had joined the Army with three friends as part of the "buddy system," which allowed them to go through training together. One of the friends also went to Vietnam and survived, and the other two went to Germany.

The siblings looked back on their brother as a popular boy.

"Our family had a drugstore in town, and Mantua being a small town, everybody knew everybody, and he was a well-liked person and would probably do anything for anybody," Barbara said. "I know of numerous people throughout the years that have come to me and said, 'Oh, you know, when Bobby was home on his break before he went to Vietnam, he made sure he got together with me' … It, you know, meant a lot to a lot of people."

Bonnie said Robert was a "great person" who was fun to be around and caring.

"Everybody loved him that knew him," she said. "I can remember when he passed away, when he was killed. The community was small, but everybody was just there. Everybody was, you know, upset by this, losing this good individual from the community."

Bill said his brother did well in athletics, having played baseball, football and basketball at Crestwood High School, from which he graduated in 1968.

"Very nice looking young man, He said. "Everybody liked him. He was well liked and a good personality…Was hard working and he worked summer jobs just like we all were, going to school. I mean, he didn't really get a chance at adult life."

All three said they plan to attend the rededication and appreciate what Benner has done to bring to light something that had long ago been forgotten.

"It's past due. It's long past due," said Bill. "This is one of the things that I'd like to see done before I leave this Earth. I'm glad to see that."

Reporter Jeff Saunders can be reached at jsaunders@recordpub.com.

This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: Crestwood High to dedicate fieldhouse to grads who died in Vietnam