In Memory of U.S. Army Specialist Fourth Class
Ivan “Bud” Noteboom was born to Gerrett and Jennie (Schelhaas)
Noteboom on April 27, 1938, in Lakeview, South Dakota. Ivan
had six siblings, including two brothers, Dean and Gary, as
well as four sisters, Ann, Elaine, Janice, and Linda. Ivan
attended Todd County schools and graduated from Todd County
High School. Ivan is remembered for enjoying being with his
family and living outdoor activities such as fishing,
hunting, and spending time in the Black Hills. He also
helped his parents on the farm. Ivan was described as being
quiet, kind, loving, and thoughtful.
Ivan Noteboom joined the United States Army on January
17, 1964, and was trained as a medic at Fort Leonard Wood in
Missouri. Specialist Noteboom was sent overseas to Vietnam
on October 7, 1965, and was stationed at Lai Khe as a member
of the 2nd Battalion, 28th Infantry Division.
On November 20, 1965, Specialist Ivan Noteboom, along
with several other medics, were traveling with a convoy in
the Latang Valley, about forty miles northwest of Saigon,
when they were ambushed. The ambush lasted into the night as
the Viet Cong riflemen overran their positions. The medics
were barely armed, making it even harder for them to defend
themselves. A friend of Ivan’s, Sgt. Mocalkins, survived the
ordeal and recalled in a newspaper article, “It was so
lonely, and I was so helpless out there. But I’d cried all
my tears.” The fighting lasted until the next morning.
Specialist Ivan Noteboom died as a result of injuries he
received in the fighting.
The body of Ivan Noteboom was returned to the United
States and after a funeral service at the Lakeview Christian
Reform Church, he was buried with military honors on
December 3, 1965, at the Mount Hope Cemetery in Valentine,
Nebraska.
Specialist Noteboom received the Military Merit Medal,
the Gallantry Cross with Palm, and the Purple Heart. The
citation that accompanied the medals read that Specialist
Noteboom had been one of the “courageous combatants, well
known for their sacrifices, who always exhibited a spirit of
good will and cooperation.”
Ivan was survived by his parents, Gerrett and Jennie
Noteboom, and his siblings, Dean, Gary, Ann Keech, Elaine (LeRoy)
Veurink, Janice (Ken) Remmers, and Linda (Gio) Whitney.
Ivan’s parents have since passed away.
Sgt. Mocalkins, who was with Ivan on the night he died,
kept in contact with Mr. and Mrs. Noteboom after Ivan’s
death. In one letter he wrote, “I guess, he never really
liked the army very much, but he always did his best no
matter what they job was. I think one of the best
descriptions of him came from one of the officers…he said in
our conversation---‘Ivan was a solid man.’” In another of
his letters, he wrote, “Ivan’s death wasn’t in vain. I know
him for the man that he was and I know that if he was given
a second chance, he would again do his job and fight the
same way he did before, doing and giving his best. He gave
his life for his brothers, like Gary and Dean, for your boys
and my boys, to bring peace on the earth, so that they would
be spared the terrible experiences that he and the rest of
his buddies had to go through.”
His family said in closing: “We remember Ivan every
Thanksgiving as we received word of his death on Monday
before Thanksgiving.” And they left us with these words:
“They cut their names in stone. Warriors never coming home.
But on the Wall they all live on. The winds of time will
sing their song.”
Left: A tree planted in memory of Ivan at Rosebud Park;
right: Ivan’s name on the Vietnam Memorial Wall in
Washington, DC
This entry was respectfully submitted by April G.
Goodson, 10th Grade, Spearfish High School, Spearfish, South
Dakota, October 15, 2005. Information and approval for this
entry was provided by the Noteboom family via Ann Keech,
Ivan’s sister.
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