Vietnam veteran Jack Tagmyer used his welding skills and knowledge of the military to build a replica of a cannon.

Jack Tagmyer participated in six major operations during his 22 months as a U.S. Marine in the Vietnam War, which earned him a Bronze Star and three Purple Hearts.

But every Memorial Day, it is the people who served with him during that time who he remembers. They played just as big a role in those operations, he said.

“I met the finest men and women I've known, serving,” Tagmyer said. “They're special to me, very special people.”

Tagmyer, who lives in Connoquenessing Township, spent 36 years serving with the Marine Corps, and served an extended tour in Vietnam from 1965 to 1967.

While he looks back fondly on his time in the military, he memorializes fellow service members by collecting memorabilia, including dog tags and Challenge Coins, which he keeps in his house. He also built a cannon using a barrel from a tank and wheels from a fire extinguisher, which he displays in his front yard as a remnant of his military service.He said he has a lot of respect for everyone who served or serves because of the pressure he remembers from his own service, especially when he was a combat engineer in Vietnam.“What scared me the most was you have 16 guys looking at you, asking what to do,” he said. “I was scared to death of making a bad decision.”Tagmyer said he didn't lose any members from his own troop while in Vietnam, but several, including himself, earned Purple Hearts and other accolades.In November 1983, Butler County officials dedicated a memorial monument in Diamond Park to those who lost their lives in the Vietnam War between 1965 and 1971. It included 60 names of Butler County natives.

Tagmyer earned his Purple Hearts one at a time: one from a piece of shrapnel that got lodged in his foot, one from a piece that got lodged in his left arm and, finally, one from a bullet he took in his lower right hip.“I'm glad I went, but I wouldn't do it again,” Tagmyer said.In addition to his own accolades, Jack Tagmyer and his wife, Kathy, earned commendation for their combined total of 60 years of service from the Marine Corps. Kathy spent 24 years as a civilian military retail worker.“Not many can say they gave that many years of service,” Tagmyer said.But when it comes to Memorial Day, Tagmyer said it's not about the accolades, but remembering the people who gave their lives to military service.“I know what I did and I know what I didn't do,” Tagmyer said. “So, I just celebrate it myself.”

Jack Tagmyer, who spent 36 years with the Marine Corps, collects dog tags from service members and keeps them pinned to a POW flag in his home.

One of Vietnam veteran Jack Tagmyer's hobbies is to collect military artifacts.

Vietnam veteran Jack Tagmyer and his wife, Kathy, stand in front the replica of a cannon Jack built.

Jack Tagmyer keeps the honors and recognitions he earned through his service in the Marines on a wall in his home.