Ronnie Hayworth (left) , a veteran from Louden, Tenn., shakes the hand of his pen pal, Jerry Nichols. Nichols is a tenth grader at Marked Tree High School. Also pictured is Hayworth's wife, Ida. (Tribune photo / Samantha Martin)

When Ronnie Hayworth heard of plans to visit the "Wall that Heals" in September, he immediately circled the date on his calendar and made plans to attend the Company C, 2nd Battalion, 5th Cavalry, 1st Cavalry Division reunion. He knew it would be a unique experience to visit the moving Vietnam memorial with the brothers he served with during the war.

However, life has a way of putting kinks in even the best made plans. Just two months ago, 65 year-old Hayworth was diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer. Weakened by three chemotherapy treatments, he knew it would be a tremendous effort physically to keep his reunion plans, but Hayworth has never been one to back down from a challenge. Thanks to his brother Bryant Hayworth and sister-in-law Wilma, Hayworth was able to make his way to the reunion and eventually to Marked Tree.

"The only thing that would have stopped me is death," he said with a laugh.

All veterans have a special story, but Hayworth's story is unique in a number of remarkable ways. He joined the army when he was 17 and volunteered to go to Vietnam just 18 months after his older brother Dennis was killed in action.

Dennis fought in the battle at the Ia Drang Valley in Vietnam which took place Nov. 14, 1965. A little over 400 American troops from the U.S. 7th Air Cavalry were surrounded by 2000 enemy soldiers in what would become the first, and perhaps the worst, major battle of the Vietnam War.

Dennis was medically discharged after the battle, but signed up for a second tour of duty just a few months later.

"They assigned him as a gunner his second tour," Hayworth said. "They said he got off two belts before they got him."

Dennis was killed Sept. 28, 1966. Friday was just two days from the anniversary of his death, a fitting day for his brother to pay tribute to his memory at the wall.

Hayworth's older brother Bryant recalls a letter from his brother Dennis, a letter that seemed to arrive from beyond the grave.

"We got a letter from him that he wrote the day he died," Bryant said. "We got it six days after his death, before we received his body for burial."

Bryant said Dennis wrote about looking forward to coming home soon, making family members hope that the news of his death was some horrible mistake.

Sadly, Dennis had been killed in action, but not before he was able to write a final letter of goodbye to his family.

"He was a good soldier," Hayworth said.

And it would seem that Hayworth is as well. His tour of duty in Vietnam lasted from 68-69, and Hayworth says his cancer is just another fight to be won.

"I fought in Vietnam and I lived," he said. "This is just a new battle I'm fighting now."

Hayworth said the trip was well worth the drive because of the opportunity to pay tribute to his brother and other fallen comrades as well as to meet the people of Marked Tree.

"We came home to nothing," he said. "When I got off the plane in Hawaii a woman in the airport spit on me. There just aren't enough words to say thank you for what the people did for us today."

Hayworth served nine years in the army and five years in the National Guard. He lives in Louden, Tenn. with his wife Ida. They have been married for 45 years.