Sister speaks at late brother’s reunion
Staff writer
Deanna Klenda of rural Marion recently spoke at his 60th class reunion for her brother, Dean, at Kapaun-Mount Caramel High School in Wichita.
Dean was missing in action in Vietnam for many years until some of his remains were found and brought back to be buried in 2016 at St. John Nepomucene Cemetery at Pilsen.
His classmates wanted to know about his life after he graduated from high school, Deanna Klenda said. He was in the second class to graduate from Kapaun-Mount Carmel.
“It was an emotional time for me,” she said, “but it was an honor to speak to them about my brother.”
As Kansas coordinator of National League of POW-MIA families, Klenda was in Washington this week and was planning to visit the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, or “The Wall,” as it is known.
“It will be hard, but it always makes me feel closer to Dean,” she said.
He was 25 and she was 21 when his plane was shot down over North Vietnam.