Guisewite, who lived in Rebersburg with his wife Donna, enlisted in the Army in December 1965 with four of his friends.

He would go on to serve his country May of 1975, when he received his 3rd Honorable Discharge from the 318th Light Equipment Company.

When he returned home to Rebersburg, he worked at Piper Aircraft, Penns Valley High School and the former R.E. Breon and Sons Oil Company in Rebersburg before retirement.

Donna said she was grateful to see her husband honored in such a way. She and other family members watched the ceremony at home via livestream.

US Army Veteran Kenneth Guisewite

“I watched the service on livestream,” she said. “It was very emotional.”

Donna told The Express she was grateful to see her husband recognized, noting his health suffered due to his service. She said while in Vietnam, he was exposed to Agent Orange.

“I miss him very much, but I’m glad that got recognized,” she said. “This is a program that more Vietnam veterans who are suffering from the effects of Agent Orange should know about.”

According to a release from the VVMF, over 770 Vietnam veterans, including the late Guisewite, were inducted into the memory program during a ceremony on June 14 at the George Washington Masonic National Memorial in Alexandria.

“VVMF believes all those who served in the Vietnam War should be honored and remembered for their service. The ‘In Memory’ program enables the families and friends of those who came home and later died the opportunity to have them forever memorialized,” the release said.

PHOTO PROVIDED US Army Veteran Kenneth L. Guisewite is pictured during his time in the service.

This was the first time the ceremony was held outside of Washington, D.C., the release said, noting the change was due to the military parade set to take place that same day.

“For many Vietnam veterans, coming home from Vietnam was just the beginning of a whole new fight. Many never fully recovered, either physically or emotionally, from their experience,” Jim Knotts, president and CEO of VVMF said. “As these veterans pass, it is our duty and solemn promise to welcome them home to the place that our nation has set aside to remember our Vietnam veterans.”

Guisewite’s children, Daniel and Kendra, said they were glad to see their father and other veterans honored.

“It was an emotional thing for us, for him to be recognized,” Daniel said.

“I’m extremely proud of my father. He was proud of his military service,” Kendra said. “It was very important to him. That’s something I remember growing up — it meant the world to him.”

PHOTO PROVIDED US Army Veteran Kenneth L. Guisewite is pictured during his time in the service.

Guisewite’s military career stretched over nearly a decade and saw him traveling to various parts of the country and the world.

He began his time in Fort Jackson, South Carolina with Company B, 6th Battalion, 2nd Brigade for his basic training.

In March 1966, he trained as a vehicle mechanic at Aberdeen Proving Grounds in Maryland before attending US Army Infantry School at Fort Benning, Ga. He successfully completed the Airborne Course and received his diploma on July 22, 1966.

In August 1966, Guisewite was sent to HHC, 2nd B, 509th Infantry in Mainz, Germany. While in Germany he made many airborne jumps, both during the day and at night in various weather conditions in the sugar beet and hayfields in the region.

While in Germany, Guisewite earned the rank of Sgt. E-5.

In October 1966, Guisewite became a heavy truck driver and served as a driver for a US Army Lieutenant looking for a Pennsylvania driver with experience driving in snow and ice.

Later that month, he became a vehicle commander and later, in September 1968, was made a track commander.

After spending three years in Germany, Guisewite was sent to Fort Eustis, Va. to learn air frame repair on March 14, 1969. Once completed, he spent time working on CH47 and 54 helicopters in Fort Sill, Ok. During this time he was promoted from Sgt. E-5 to Specialist 5.

On Jan. 25, 1971, Guisewite was transferred to Corpus Christi Naval Base, Texas, where the Army had personnel working on repairs to helicopters.

While at Corpus Christi, he was sent to Vietnam to repair helicopters, boats and mike boats that were damaged during the war. He worked in the sheet metal shop throughout his service in the country.

Repairs were done either on location where they were shot down or, if possible, transferred to the USNS Corpus Christi Bay, a ship that was retrofitted to make any necessary repairs.

By doing this, time was saved and the equipment was able to get back in the fight, instead of sending them back to the United States for repair.

Guisewite left Vietnam in August of 1972. He returned to Corpus Christi, Texas, where on Sept. 5, 1972, he was honorably discharged.

From May 1974 to May 1975, Guisewite was a member of the 318th Light Equipment Company before his final honorable discharge.

Guisewite received a number of awards and honors during his service including:

— Paratrooper Wings for serving in an elite group which were ready for deployment at any time.

— Vietnam Service Medal with Bronze Service Star.

— Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal.

— National Defense Service Medal, 1st and 2nd Awards.

— Expert Rifle.

— Sharpshooter M14.

— Good Conduct Medal, 1st and 2nd Awards

He passed away June 7, 2024, from Interstitial Lung Disease which was a result of exposure to Agent Orange.

For anyone who wishes to view the livestream of this event, visit www.vvmf.org/live