Jerry Lee Graves of Mexico served in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War and died July 28, 1968, in Binh Dinh, Vietnam.
His sisters, Carol McDonald and Betty Cinkan, along with cousins Joan …
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Jerry Lee Graves of Mexico served in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War and died July 28, 1968, in Binh Dinh, Vietnam.
His sisters, Carol McDonald and Betty Cinkan, along with cousins Joan Dugan and Kay Reading, remember him as a wonderful brother, fun person to be around and great protector. And now, his memory lives on forever at the Mexico VFW Post 3772.
Commander Russ Davis unveiled a panel from the former Mobile Vietnam Memorial Wall in its new home at the Mexico VFW on Saturday during the post’s biscuits and gravy breakfast for veterans and first responders, where Graves’ family was in attendance.
“I think it’s wonderful being here,” Cinkan said.
“I sometimes think that we forget about what the war was, and I think the younger people need to know what the sacrifices were — not just veterans, but the sacrifice that the families went through,” Reading added.
The Mobile Vietnam Memorial Wall, or the AV Wall as it was previously known, was constructed in 2009 in Antelope Valley, California.
It was retired in November 2025, and upon learning that the panels were up for adoption, Missouri Military Academy alumnus and California resident Rupert Kiefer requested three panels — one for MMA, another for Valley Forge Military College, where he is also an alumnus, and one in honor of one of his mentors in Northern California.
The panel that was earmarked for the military academy had Graves’ name on it, and after it declined Kiefer’s offer, he reached out to the City of Mexico and explained the situation. He was put in touch with Drew Williford, deputy city manager, who connected Kiefer with Davis.
While Kiefer never served in the armed forces, his father was a Vietnam veteran who served for 28 years in the U.S. Air Force, and the Mobile Vietnam Memorial Wall meant a lot to him. Kiefer said he has a great love and respect for those who served.
“Adopting these three panels to immediately give them away is just something that makes me proud as an American,” he said in an email to Davis. “Sending this panel to Mexico, Missouri, is my simple way of saying thank you to the town that was my home away from home for four years.”
The panel can be seen at the Mexico VFW Post 3772 on a display that was handmade by two veterans and local VFW members Jim Atkinson, who made the stand, and John Palsey, who did the lighting. Davis said he plans to take the panel out to the Missouri Veterans Home in Mexico so they can see it too.
