The following article appeared on page 39 of the March/April 2011 VHPA Aviator Magazine.
The son/brother, Dan Cheney, was in A Troop and KIA in a Cobra with Kosloskey on January 6, 1969. I have met sister Jerilyn and their mother, Rae, several times. Nice people. They formed PeaceTrees to honor Dan, and the organization has cleared old ammo and built schools and libraries. Jerilyn was presented with a Cav hat and a 17th Cav regimental crest, from the troop, in 2000. So now we have a school named after one of our KIAs in Vietnam.
Chuck Oualline, Spur 3
RAE CHANEY, CONSIDERED THE “HEART” OF PEACETREES VIETNAM IS AWARDED THE PEACE AND FRIENDSHIP AMONG NATIONS MEDAL.
While Rae was in Vietnam for the dedication of PeaceTrees two latest projects in Vietnam, the Mothers’ Peace Library and the Dan Cheney Kindergarten in the Khe Sahn area, and the Pat Lucero Mothers Peace Library in the Quang Tri Province, she was presented with the Peace and Friendship Among Nations Medal by the Vietnamese Government.
The Vietnam Union of Friendship Organizations presented her the “Medal for Peace and Friendship Among Nations,” their highest honor that may be bestowed upon a foreign citizen. According to Vietnamese officials, Rae was the first American mother, who lost a son or daughter in war, to be honored by the Vietnamese people for humanitarian service.
Both US Ambassador to Vietnam, Michael Michalak, and Vietnam Ambassador, Nguyen Tam Chien, participated in the presentation. Members of the Vietnamese and international press surrounded Rae both during the presentation and the library dedication and wrote numerous news articles of both her, and the work of PeaceTrees VietNam. These articles have appeared in Vietnam and in other countries around the world. In late October, Vietnam Television will air a documentary in Rae’s honor.
Rae was 90 years old at the time of her trip and it was her first visit to Vietnam. VHPA members are familiar with Rae’s work to honor her son, Dan Cheney, a US Army helicopter pilot who lost his life in 1969. Pat Lucero also served in the US Army in Vietnam and was killed in action in 1968. His family and friends from across the US traveled to Vietnam to honor Pat, and to commemorate the library that carries his name, PeaceTrees’s 10th Mother’s Peace Library in Vietnam.
PeaceTrees gives shelter to Vietnamese land-mine victims – Seattle Times – 29 May 11
Honoring the Passing of Rae Cheney, PeaceTrees Vietnam Co-Founder – PeaceTrees VietNam – August 2017
