The 8th of November

You can't listen to the radio very long without hearing The 8th of November, a haunting song by Big and Rich, about a 1965 firefight in Vietnam. The song is the true story that a bartender told Big and Rich at the Buffalo Bar in Deadwood 4 years ago. The bartender is Niles Harris, and he was one of only 5 survivors of his platoon on November 8th, 1965. Harris points out that he is not unique -- Vietnam vets all carry their memories.

Thank you to Harris for telling his story, Big and Rich for writing and singing it, and Pierre SD for the memorials.

The 7 foot statue, dedicated yesterday, is of a soldier holding the dog tags of a fallen comrade. It stands by the World War II Memorial and the Korean War Memorial on the shore of Capitol Lake in Pierre SD. All three memorials were designed by sculptors Sherri Treeby and Lee Leuning.
Photo by Rapid City Journal