Vietnam Traveling Memorial Wall Reunion Now Underway in Melbourne, U.S. Army SP4 Alvin Elenburg Killed 52 Years Ago Today

Elenburg selected at random from Memorial Wall currently at Wickham Park in Melbourne

U.S. Army SP4 Alvin R. Elenburg (pictured) died in Vietnam on May 10, 1972. Elenburg’s name was selected at random from the Vietnam Traveling Memorial Wall by the Friday Night Locker Room’s Orville Susong and Steve Wilson. The Vietnam Traveling Memorial Wall is currently at Wickham Park in Melbourne, as part of the 36^th Annual All Veterans Reunion. 

BREVARD COUNTY • MELBOURNE, FLORIDA – The Vietnam Traveling Memorial Wall is currently at Wickham Park in Melbourne as part of the 36^th Annual All Veterans Reunion, which is presented by Vietnam and All Veterans of Brevard and is taking place from May 9 to May 12.

Each year, my broadcasting and business partner Orville Susong and I select one name from the Wall to honor. The reason we do this is to show that each of the 58,220 names on the Wall are more than just names, but each has a face and a story.

After the Wreath Laying Ceremony concluded on May 6, we made our selection, and today we are honoring U.S. Army SP4 Alvin R. Elenburg.

Elenburg was born in Jasper, Alabama, on January 3, 1948. SP4 Elenburg arrived in Vietnam on September 1, 1971. He was assigned to 362nd Assault Support Helicopter Company, 229th Assault Helicopter Battalion, 11th Aviation Group, 1st Calvary Division, USARV.

SP4 Elenberg was a door gunner aboard a CH-47A Chinook helicopter when it crashed on May 10, 1972, in Bien Hoa province, Vietnam. All 34 American soldiers on board perished. At the time of his death, he was a member of Delta Co, 2^nd Battalion, Eighth Calvary.

His youngest daughter, Sherry Elenberg, told me that about one week after the tragedy, “He would have been on his way home to meet me.” Unfortunately, SP4 Elenburg never got the chance to meet Sherry.

Many people were impacted by the death of SP4 Elenberg; his wife, Patsy, that was home waiting for his safe return; his oldest daughter Kelly, who has few memories of her dad; his youngest daughter, Sherry, who never had the chance to meet her father; his older brother Jake, who served in Vietnam and came home an amputee; along with countless friends and family members.

Sherry put it best when she said, “I wish I would have had a chance to know my dad. I feel like I missed out on a lot not having him here.”

In a cruel twist of fate, another of SP4 Elenberg’s brothers, James Walter Elenburg, was killed in Vietnam in 1966, in the same province in which his brother died six years later, Bien Hoa. James Elenburg was also a SP4 in the U.S. Army at the time of his death. The excruciating pain their parents, Charles and Verdie Elenburg, must have endured in losing two sons in Vietnam is unimaginable.

SP4 Alvin R. Elenburg was one of over 58,000 Americans that died in Vietnam. His story is not unique, but it is to his family. Al, as he was called, missed out on so very much. He would be 76 years old today. We as Americans should honor SP4 Elenburg not only at special events, like we did at the Wreath Laying Ceremony, but every single day.

** Author’s note, I would like to thank SP4 Alvin Elenburg’s daughters, Kelly and Sherry, along with grandson, Cody, and his wife Stephenie, for their input and support of this article.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Steve Wilson was born in DeRidder, Louisiana and grew up in both New Orleans and Macon, Georgia.  He moved to Brevard County in 1984 and retired from local government as the Community Advocate/Assistant to the City Manager with the City of Rockledge in 2018.

Among the awards and accolades Steve has received over the years are 15 + year Rockledge Little League volunteer, Brevard Public School Jefferson Award Recipient, Rockledge High School Raider Booster Award 2001, 2006, City of Rockledge Employee of the Year 2006, Rockledge Kiwanian of the Year 2006-2007, City of Rockledge Quality Public Service Award 2008, 2012, 2017, Rockledge Kiwanis Citizen of the Year 2012-2013, Space Coast Sports Hall of Fame – Sportscasting 2015, Rockledge High School Leadership and Service Award 2016, Central Florida Humanitarian Award 2017, Space Coast Inspiration Award – 2018,  Space Coast Sports Hall of Fame – Lifetime Achievement – 2020, Ecofest Achievement Award – 2022, Quality Floridian Award – 2022, presented by U.S. Congressman Bill Posey.

Wilson is especially proud of his chairing two fundraisers in support of pediatric cancer research through the St. Baldrick’s Foundation in honor of Merritt Island resident Julie Spurlock that raised over $25,000.00.

He has been a partner, along with Orville Susong, for the past 24 years with the Friday Night Locker Room, a broadcasting team that covers and reports on a wide variety of local events that are of significance to the residents of the Space Coast and beyond. Their mission is to promote youth sports, support first responders and law enforcement personnel, and showcase community and charitable events that are produced by our nonprofit partners in central Florida.

The Friday Night Locker Room has awarded hundreds of sports achievement plaques to Brevard County student-athletes over the years. They have also awarded more than $18,000 in academic scholarships to Brevard County high school seniors.

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