MESA — A retired Army lieutenant from Virginia is searching for the family of a Mesa soldier who was killed in Vietnam.
Sgt. Richard Lee Stockett was killed in action in Binh Dinh, South Vietnam in March 1971, four months shy of his 21st birthday.
Stockett's commander, retired Army 2nd Lt. Terry Modglin, says he's looking for the soldier's family to tell them what a good man he was and about a memorial being built in Fort Benning, Ga. Construction on the memorial, which will list Stockett's name, is set to begin in September and be finished about a year later.
Modglin said he knew Stockett just two months, but the soldier made a lasting impression.
"It's enough time when you sleep in the same bunker," Modglin said. "You really get to know a man fast that way."
Modglin, who lives in Falls Church, Va., and others associated with the memorial haven't been able to find Stockett's parents or any other relatives. Calls last week to a number of people in the Phoenix metro area with the Stockett surname yielded no results.
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Stockett was a radio telephone operator, the man who carried his unit's radio on his back in the field, Modglin said. He also pushed to go on the mission that killed him.
"He begged me," Modglin said. "He wanted to become a reconnaissance man, the elite of the elite. You regret a decision like that the rest of your life."
Modglin said it's obvious Stockett came from a strong family, and he believes they would want to know about how their son is being honored.
"I believe he would have had a brilliant future," Modglin said. "He would have gone on to be a congressman or held some sort of leadership position. He was that kind of person."
