LEROY, N.Y. — The LeRoy High School class of 1967 had more men in uniform than any other class since World War II.
News10NBC Chief Investigative Reporter Berkeley Brean met with six veterans from that class at the American Legion in LeRoy who shared their stories of service.
The LeRoy boys of ’67
Brian Panepento served in the Air Force. Bob Baker enlisted in the Navy and was later drafted into the Army. Mark Buchanan was a helicopter gunner who earned two Purple Hearts.
“One shot in the leg. One up here in the arm,” Buchanan said.
Tom Feneran was a sailor on the USS Enterprise.
“Two tours off the coast of Vietnam,” Feneran said.
Ron Hawkins served four years in the Air Force. Jerry Howe was a Marine in Vietnam. He brought in a grenade from an attack he survived.
“So basically I’m here for a reason I guess,” Howe said.
Unaware of how many signed up
They are six of the 33 boys in one LeRoy class who enlisted or got drafted into the military after they graduated. At the time, they didn’t realize how many of their classmates were signing up.
“I don’t think at the time we did because after we graduated we kind of went our different ways so to speak,” Howe said.
“I wasn’t aware of it at all,” Panepento said.
“None of us were,” Hawkins said.
“Like everybody else I didn’t really know how many of our class served in the military,” Feneran said.
It wasn’t until they came back and Tom Feneran’s brother Dick started putting the names together that they learned the truth. Thirty-three from a class of 59 in 1967.
“We all came back alive”
“We had more men in uniform than any class since World War Two from LeRoy,” Howe said.
“I’m proud of it. Proud to be here. Glad I went,” Buchanan said.
“The shining part on that is that we came back all alive. Some with less parts. Some wounded. But everyone made it home alive,” Hawkins said.
“It was in the air. It was a time totally different than it is today,” Baker said. “And it makes you appreciate the best place on earth is LeRoy.”
Twenty-one of the 33 men in that graduating class are still alive.
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