CARTHAGE, New York (WWNY) – In an unmarked grave for 5 years, a Vietnam War veteran gets the recognition the community says he always deserved.
On a gloomy Friday morning, the stillness of Fairview Cemetery in Carthage is interrupted by three gunshots marking a Vietnam veteran finally honored with a grave that permanently marks his name.
“Let us stand in bowed heads in solemn memory and reverence of our heroic dead, Austin Molnar,” said Dr. Janice Gravely, commander, Carthage American Legion.
Specialist (SP4) Austin Molnar died in December 2017 after he was struck by a car during a hit-and-run crash in Gouverneur.
He was a familiar face in the Carthage community who had a difficult go at life after the war. We spoke with him in 2015 when he lost almost everything in a house fire including his war medals and a special edition of LIFE magazine about neglected Vietnam soldiers. His photo graced the cover.
“He loved being a soldier. You could tell. He always had his dog tags, he always had his camouflage jacket on,” said Deborah Atkins, president, American Legion Bassett Baxter Unit 789.
Though he loved being a soldier, Molnar told us in 2015 that he often had flashbacks from the war.
“I keep having flashbacks, always the same flashbacks being on the operating table, being pronounced dead,” he said.
Despite it all, his friends say he was always there for them.
“One time I had a bat in the house. I called him, he came right down and got it out,” said Sandra Duncan, friend.
“I miss the guy. He’d do anything for you,” said Thomas Intorcia, friend.
Rumor has it that during the war, he was known to be a “tunnel rat.”
“He went down into holes in the ground looking for the enemy with a pistol and a flashlight. In my mind, people who can do that are known as heroes,” said Randy Hamilton, who lives in Carthage.
A hero who the community knew deserved more than an unmarked grave. After 5 years, the Carthage American Legion gave him a ceremony to go along with a new marker.
“We will never forget, we will never leave a fallen comrade, and we will ensure they receive the honor and recognition they have earned and deserve,” said Gravely.
Once on a magazine cover for a story about neglected soldiers, Austin Molnar’s legacy now lives on at Fairview Cemetery.
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