JEFFERSON —  While speaking of a fallen comrade’s heroism at a dedication ceremony in Jefferson, Vietnam veteran Gary Pratt, 63,  suffered a heart attack and collapsed in front of the stunned crowd.

Pratt was a guest speaker at the dedication of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial at the Cobra Vietnam-era helicopter on the north side of Route 167. Jefferson Fire Department paramedics attended to Pratt at the scene and transported him to Ashtabula County Medical Center. Sources said he died en route.

Pratt was the president of In-Country Vietnam Veterans Association of Ohio.

Barbara Hamilton, vice president of the Jefferson Historical Society, said that Pratt assisted at the memorial site for the past three days. She said that Pratt somewhat reluctantly agreed to speak at the dedication, and said he would speak about his friend, Ronald Brown, one of the veterans honored on the memorial.

“When I asked him to speak, he hesitated. Then he said, ‘I want to do that.’ I don’t think he spoke of (Brown) that often,” she said. “He was sharing in a public group the story of his friend — something he really wanted to do.”

Bob Lister, a fellow veteran and a close friend who was on stage with Pratt when he collapsed, said that Pratt died as he lived — 100 percent committed to his fellow Vietnam vets.

“If there was any place he would have wanted this to happen, it would be at a Vietnam memorial,” he said. “He was all about helping other veterans. He had such a compassion for Vietnam veterans.”

Lister said Pratt founded the In-Country Vietnam Veterans Association for veterans who had fought in Vietnam, and that veterans from all over the country would head to his Lenox Township property for the annual picnic reunion in August.

He attributed Pratt’s death to a combination of the hot temperatures and Pratt’s emotional state.

“I could hear it in his voice,” he said. “It’s something how something that long ago could still affect you. It was like he was right back there, losing (Brown) all over again.”

Pratt spent his time on the platform recounting Brown’s story.

“There are 29 names on this memorial,” he said. “I’d like to talk about just one of those names.”

Pratt said he was already in Vietnam when he received a letter from his mother, telling him that Brown had gone to Vietnam and was stationed nearby.

“I was happy. For us, it would be bringing a little home back, I’d have someone to talk to,” he recalled.

Pratt said he volunteered to work with Brown’s unit in the hope of spending some time together. But when Pratt arrived, he was informed that Brown was out with his unit and would return later in the afternoon. As he waited, he heard lots of radio traffic that concerned him.

“Those were anxious moments. The choppers started coming in, and I ran up to everyone and asked about (Brown). In one of the last choppers, a guy said that they had to leave him behind.”

Pratt said that they found Brown’s body the next morning. Pratt had just concluded the story by saying that Brown “gave it all,” when he collapsed.

After Pratt was removed for medical treatment, Leroy Hutchinson, president of Vietnam Veterans of Northeast Ohio 231, briefly spoke.

He praised the beauty of the monument, which was donated by J.R. Hurst of Memorials by Behm, Geneva, and Ron Belding of Belding Monuments, Geneva.

“This monument will be here forever and ever,” he said. The 29 names of the fallen veterans were read aloud; a bell was rung after each name. The ceremony concluded with taps being played.

“I think every veteran was moved by the ceremony,” Hamilton said.

That the Vietnam veterans didn’t have a memorial listing the men’s names was a wrong it was time to right, she said. Acting on the suggestion of Vietnam veteran Sam Carruthers, who pointed out the lack of a local memorial, the Jefferson Historical Society worked to erect the monument in time for Memorial Day, Hamilton said.

“In the beginning, there were mixed feelings about the war,” she said. “As time went on, people forgot. That’s why at the top of the monument is says, ‘You will never be forgotten.’”

Hamilton said that the tragedy of Pratt’s death brought home the sacrifice made by both the veterans who didn’t return home and those who were fortunate enough to resume civilian life after their tour of duty ended.

Pratt, who lived in Lenox Townshi, leaves behind his wife, Pam, and two stepchildren. Funeral arrangements are being handled by the Jefferson home of Fleming & Billman Funeral Directors in Jefferson.