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<p>BEAR CREEK TWP. &#8212; It took 41 years, but when Ed Zimmerman realized two of his fellow U.S. Marines were still missing, he knew he had to do something about it.</p><p>Zimmerman said he has not been able to rest, often having nightmares, since learning the bodies of two dead Marines he saw in a ravine in South Vietnam were never recovered &#8212; never returned to their families for burial.</p><p>And since 2009, when he saw an Internet story about a memorial service at Arlington National Cemetery for one of the two missing-in-action soldiers, Zimmerman &#8212; a native of Edwardsville &#8212; has dedicated much of his life to bringing back the Marines who died in the 77-day siege in Khe Sanh in early 1968.</p><p>Zimmerman, 67, will be a key part of the U.S. government&#8217;s recovery effort that leaves for South Vietnam Aug. 10 to, hopefully, recover the remains of Pfc. Anthony John (Tony) Pepper, 20, of Richmond, Virginia, and Cpl. James Mitchell Trimble, 19, of Eureka, California.</p><p>&#8220;When I saw the story, it hit me,&#8221; Zimmerman said of the memorial service. &#8220;I had never told anyone of what I saw over that ridge line. I just figured somebody from the other company would recover them.&#8221;</p><p>That assumption has haunted Zimmerman since 2009 when he first learned the bodies were never recovered.</p><p>&#8220;When I found out, I knew I had to do something,&#8221; he said.</p><p><strong>The story</strong></p><p>As a 19-year-old Marine, on April 6, 1968, Zimmerman was helping his unit clean up after a battle at Khe Sanh, South Vietnam.</p><p>A member of F Company, 2nd Battalion of the 26th Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, Zimmerman was with his unit clearing the area when he saw the bodies of the two Marines in a ravine. They were members of G Company, the other unit that had been in the battle with F Company.</p><p>Zimmerman never gave the men a second thought, thinking the Marines would be recovered by their unit and sent home for burial. It wasn&#8217;t until 2009 when he saw the story about Pepper&#8217;s memorial service did he realize the Marine&#8217;s body had never been recovered. The bodies of Pepper and Trimble were the only two of 32 Marines killed at Khe Sanh on April 6, 1968, never recovered.</p><p>It was at that moment Zimmerman realized the Marines were the same two he had seen in the ravine. From that moment, he has dedicated much of his life to returning to South Vietnam to recover their remains.</p><p>Zimmerman did his own research and determined, through maps, historical records and, most importantly, his memory, exactly where Pepper and Trimble were when they were killed.</p><p>In 2014, after convincing the U.S. government&#8217;s military, Zimmerman worked with a Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command, or JPAC, search team based at Pearl Harbor to search for the remains of the Marines. He guided the government team to the exact spot where he saw Pepper and Trimble.</p><p>&#8220;I knew exactly where I was,&#8221; Zimmerman said of the location.</p><p>Now, after more interviews and research and planning, Pepper and Trimble have been taken off the military&#8217;s &#8220;No Further Pursuit&#8221; list. The August mission will be to recover their remains, bring them home and have them interred.</p><p>Zimmerman plans to be there when both are given proper burials.</p><p>Pepper and Trimble will finally rest in peace &#8212; and peace will come to Zimmerman.</p><p><strong>Anticipation of recovery</strong></p><p>Zimmerman is anxious as he awaits the August trip. He wants the recovery to be successful so he can bring his two &#8220;brothers&#8221; home.</p><p>&#8220;I call it wonderful,&#8221; Zimmerman said during an interview at his home on Lake Aleeda. &#8220;There&#8217;s really not a word for it. If they find them, I will thank the Lord. I believe He has been in on this whole process.&#8221;</p><p>When asked why he has dedicated his life to seeing this recovery through, Zimmerman got emotional.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s my duty,&#8221; he said. &#8220;I couldn&#8217;t just let them die &#8212; or let them stay there forever. They&#8217;re my brothers.&#8221;</p><p>Zimmerman remembers that ridge line. He remembers looking over the hill into the ravine and seeing the bodies lying side by side. He remembers they had been stripped of all their equipment &#8212; maps, radios, gear.</p><p>But with all the good Zimmerman has done to move this project forward by convincing some of the government&#8217;s top military officials the two Marines can be found, he still lives with guilt.</p><p>&#8220;I&#8217;ll carry the guilt with me until we bring them home,&#8221; he said. &#8220;It will bring closure for me. My nightmares will be over. When we find them, something righteous will have come out of all of this &#8212; some good, finally.&#8221;</p><p>Zimmerman&#8217;s wife, Kathy, and daughters Lori, Leah and Nadine, and his eight grandchildren consider him a true American hero.</p><p>It&#8217;s been nearly 50 years since the siege on Khe Sanh &#8212; one of the longest and bloodiest of the Vietnam War where Zimmerman earned a Bronze Star for saving a fellow Marine and a Purple Heart for a wound he suffered.</p><p>&#8220;He&#8217;s a hero to me,&#8221; Kathy Zimmerman said of her husband.</p><p><strong>Family supportive</strong></p><p>Carrie Pepper, of Sacramento, California, is Anthony Pepper&#8217;s younger sister. She has written a book &#8212; &#8220;Missing on Hill 700: How Losing a Brother in Vietnam Created a Family in America.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;Ed Zimmerman &#8212; Zimmo &#8212; has become part of my family as have many others I have met during the writing of this book,&#8221; she said. &#8220;When Tony was sent to Vietnam, I was a kid, 12 years old. When he was reported as MIA, it never seemed real to me. There was no evidence &#8212; nothing. After six months of telegrams telling my parents he was &#8216;still missing,&#8217; they sent the final one: &#8216;A determination of death has been made.&#8217; Our family crumbled and I didn&#8217;t question.&#8221;</p><p>Carrie said it is largely because of Zimmerman the government reopened her brother&#8217;s and Trimble&#8217;s cases. She is working on her second book &#8212; &#8220;The Return to Hill 700&#8221; &#8212; and is praying it will have a miraculous ending.</p><p>&#8220;We are due a miracle,&#8221; she said. &#8220;With God on our side and the relentless effort and belief of one amazing man &#8212; Ed Zimmerman &#8212; Tony Pepper and Jim Trimble will be brought home to rest on American soil.&#8221;</p><p>Carrie has been in touch with Trimble&#8217;s niece, Aemie Woolen Trimble, who offered a quote to Carrie about Trimble&#8217;s father, Denver Trimble.</p><p>&#8220;All the way up to the day he (Denver) died, he expected (James) to walk through that door,&#8221; she said.</p><p>Now, two families and Ed Zimmerman hope to see Pepper and Trimble finally come home.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Ed Zimmerman points to the location in a 1968 photograph of the mountainous terrain of Khe Sanh, Vietnam where he believes the remains of his fellow U.S. Marines are located. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/web1_TTL060516Zimmerman1-5.jpg</photo0><caption0>Ed Zimmerman points to the location in a 1968 photograph of the mountainous terrain of Khe Sanh, Vietnam where he believes the remains of his fellow U.S. Marines are located. </caption0><photoCredit0>Sean McKeag | Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/web1_TTL060516Zimmerman2-5.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">A shadow box contains Ed Zimmerman&#8217;s military accolades, including a bullet-ravaged ammo case that saved Zimmerman&#8217;s life when it sheilded him from enemy fire. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/web1_TTL060516Zimmerman2-5.jpg</photo1><caption1>A shadow box contains Ed Zimmerman&#8217;s military accolades, including a bullet-ravaged ammo case that saved Zimmerman&#8217;s life when it sheilded him from enemy fire. </caption1><photoCredit1>Sean McKeag | Times Leader </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/web1_TTL060516Zimmerman3-5.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Ed Zimmerman&#8217;s hat from the VFW he belongs to in Lenox. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/web1_TTL060516Zimmerman3-5.jpg</photo2><caption2>Ed Zimmerman&#8217;s hat from the VFW he belongs to in Lenox. </caption2><photoCredit2>Sean McKeag | Times Leader </photoCredit2></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/web1_TTL060516Zimmerman5-5.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">U.S. Marine veteran Ed Zimmerman sorts through photographs, one of which is Anthony John Pepper, a fellow soldier whose body has been missing for 48 years. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo3>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/web1_TTL060516Zimmerman5-5.jpg</photo3><caption3>U.S. Marine veteran Ed Zimmerman sorts through photographs, one of which is Anthony John Pepper, a fellow soldier whose body has been missing for 48 years. </caption3><photoCredit3>Sean McKeag | Times Leader </photoCredit3></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/web1_TTL060516Zimmerman6-5.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Ed Zimmerman talks in his Bear Creek Township home about his life&#8217;s mission to recover the lost remains of fellow marines Anthony John Pepper and James Mitchell Trimble, who both died in the 1968 seige in Khe Sanh, Vietnam. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo4>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/web1_TTL060516Zimmerman6-5.jpg</photo4><caption4>Ed Zimmerman talks in his Bear Creek Township home about his life&#8217;s mission to recover the lost remains of fellow marines Anthony John Pepper and James Mitchell Trimble, who both died in the 1968 seige in Khe Sanh, Vietnam. </caption4><photoCredit4>Sean McKeag | Times Leader </photoCredit4></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/web1_TTL060516Zimmerman7-5.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">U.S. Marine veteran Ed Zimmerman talks about his fellow soldiers who have been missing for 48 years in the mountains of Khe Sanh, Vietnam. Zimmerman will accompany a U.S. recovery team in August to search for the two Marines&#8217; remains. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo5>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/web1_TTL060516Zimmerman7-5.jpg</photo5><caption5>U.S. Marine veteran Ed Zimmerman talks about his fellow soldiers who have been missing for 48 years in the mountains of Khe Sanh, Vietnam. Zimmerman will accompany a U.S. recovery team in August to search for the two Marines&#8217; remains. </caption5><photoCredit5>Sean McKeag | Times Leader </photoCredit5></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/web1_TTL060516Zimmerman8-5.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">While U.S. Marine veteran Ed Zimmerman talks about his mission to uncover the remains of his fellow soldiers, he looks at information regarding a book Carrie Pepper wrote about her brother Anthony John Pepper, who is one of the soldiers missing. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo6>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/web1_TTL060516Zimmerman8-5.jpg</photo6><caption6>While U.S. Marine veteran Ed Zimmerman talks about his mission to uncover the remains of his fellow soldiers, he looks at information regarding a book Carrie Pepper wrote about her brother Anthony John Pepper, who is one of the soldiers missing. </caption6><photoCredit6>Sean McKeag | Times Leader </photoCredit6></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/web1_TTL060516Zimmerman9-5.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Photographs of Anthony John Pepper, left, and James Mitchell Trimble, sit on the table as Ed Zimmerman talks about his personal mission to recover their remains from the Khe Sanh combat base that went under siege in 1968 in South Vietnam. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo7>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/web1_TTL060516Zimmerman9-5.jpg</photo7><caption7>Photographs of Anthony John Pepper, left, and James Mitchell Trimble, sit on the table as Ed Zimmerman talks about his personal mission to recover their remains from the Khe Sanh combat base that went under siege in 1968 in South Vietnam. </caption7><photoCredit7>Sean McKeag | Times Leader </photoCredit7></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>Vet hopes to bring 2 &#8216;brothers&#8217; home from Vietnam</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Bill O&#8217;Boyle</p><p>boboyle@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><factboxMeta><p><strong>Ed Zimmerman interview</strong></p><p>To view a video of the interview with Ed Zimmerman, go to: www.youtube.com/timesleadervideo</p></factboxMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Bill O&#8217;Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle.</p></shirttailMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><videoMeta><p><table class="mceItemTable" style="border:none;width:98%;"><tbody><tr><td style="font-weight:bold;font-size:100%;vertical-align:top;text-align:right;border:none;">VideoID:</td><td id="videoid" style="width:50em;font-size:90%;">L4bqtKetBo0</td></tr><tr><td style="font-weight:bold;font-size:100%;vertical-align:top;text-align:right;border:none;">VideoType:</td><td id="videotype" style="font-size:90%;">YOUTUBE</td></tr><tr><td style="font-weight:bold;font-size:100%;vertical-align:top;text-align:right;border:none;">URL:</td><td id="url" style="font-size:90%;">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4bqtKetBo0</td></tr><tr><td style="font-weight:bold;font-size:100%;vertical-align:top;text-align:right;border:none;">Video Embed String:</td><td id="videoembedstring" style="font-size:90%;">&lt;iframe width=&#8221;560&#8221; height=&#8221;315&#8221; src=&#8221;https://www.youtube.com/embed/L4bqtKetBo0&#8221; frameborder=&#8221;0&#8221; allowfullscreen&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;</td></tr><tr><td style="font-weight:bold;font-size:100%;vertical-align:top;text-align:right;border:none;">Video Caption:</td><td id="videocaption" style="font-size:90%;">A Recovery Mission</td></tr><tr><td style="font-weight:bold;font-size:100%;vertical-align:top;text-align:right;border:none;">Video Credit:</td><td id="videocredit" style="font-size:90%;">Sean McKeag</td></tr><tr><td style="font-weight:bold;font-size:100%;vertical-align:top;text-align:right;border:none;">Video Position:</td><td id="videoposition" style="font-size:90%;"> </td></tr></tbody></table></p><p style="margin-top:10px;font-size:70%;color:#555;">(use the &#8220;for files&#8230;&#8221; link above to associate attached files with this source)</p></videoMeta></div>

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Semper fi: Bear Creek Marine veteran on mission to bring two ‘brothers’ home