One of the great tragedies of the Vietnam War is that the predominant images we have of that conflict are negatives ones -- whether it be photos of American GIs massacring civilians at My Lai, images of thousands of young adults protesting the war, or video of the final evacuation of the American embassy during the fall of Saigon, history has portrayed the Vietnam War in a negative light.

The truth is that the thousands of "draft dodgers" make up a small minority. The vast majority of American men made no effort to avoid the draft, choosing instead to honorably fight for this country in spite of the political turmoil of the Vietnam War. In more than 58,000 instances, this devotion to duty cost them their lives.

One of these heroes from Michiana was Ivan R. Asper Jr. of Mishawaka.

This is his story.

Ivan Richard Asper Jr. was born Sept. 16, 1947, in Mishawaka. The son of Ivan Richard Sr. and Margaret Asper, he grew up in Mishawaka, graduating from Mishawaka High School with the Class of 1966. Upon graduation, he registered for the draft through the Selective Service, just as American men are required to do today upon turning 18 years of age.

In the years that followed Asper's high school graduation, the Vietnam War intensified, leading to more and more young men being drafted into the armed forces. When Asper's draft number was called, he was enrolled at a local electronic technology school. Rather than attempt to evade the draft, Asper accepted his induction into the United States Army.

After basic training, Asper reported to Fort Sill, Okla., where he received training in field artillery. As a testament to his technical competence and leadership ability, he was promoted to sergeant upon graduation. With orders for Vietnam, Asper arrived in the war zone on Dec. 15, 1970.

Asper was assigned to Charlie Battery, 1st Battalion, 8th Field Artillery Regiment in the 25th Infantry Division. His battery consisted of a half-dozen 102 mm howitzers and was charged with the mission of providing artillery fire in support of infantry units engaged in combat with communist forces in South Vietnam.

Asper's specific job was that of the commander of the center, or "base" artillery piece. When receiving a fire mission from an engaged infantry unit, all of the guns of an artillery battery will aim and fire based on the adjustment of the center artillery piece. Doing this ensured artillery fire was delivered as accurately as possible, which was critical in avoiding friendly casualties when communist forces were sometimes only a few feet away from American troops. As commander of the base piece in his battery, Asper held one of the most important positions in his unit.

In writing this article, I spoke to Joe Vann of Snellville, Ga., who served with Asper in Vietnam. Vann described Asper as the "smartest" and "best" soldier in the battery, which is why he was chosen to command the base piece. His gun crew of five men had the reputation of being the quickest and most accurate crew in the battery, which meant the difference between life and death for infantrymen in need of fire support to avoid being killed by a numerically superior enemy force.

Asper was popular and well-liked among the men of the battery, leading by focusing himself and his soldiers on the mission. He also learned to control his fear and thus helped other soldiers keep calm by never displaying fear himself. He also spoke fondly of Indiana, portraying the people of Mishawaka as patriotic to the soldiers he served with.

On the evening of Feb. 15, 1971, Charlie Battery was set up in a firebase in Long Khanh Province of South Vietnam. Around 6 p.m., elements of the 33rd North Vietnamese Army and a local Viet Cong unit attacked Charlie Battery's position, assaulting them with rockets, mortars and small-arms fire. In the 15-minute battle that followed, American forces were able to drive the communist forces away from the firebase. Asper, however, was wounded in the process.

Asper was flown to a field hospital by helicopter. His wounds, however, would be fatal. He was just 23 years old.

Asper was posthumously promoted to staff sergeant and also awarded the Bronze Star for his courage under fire and the Purple Heart for his wounds. He was laid to rest in Mishawaka's Fairview Cemetery. When his battery moved to a different firebase a few weeks later, they named it "Fire Base Asper" in his honor.

His name is inscribed on Panel 05W, Row 104 of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., along with 19 other men from Mishawaka and more than 58,000 of his fellow Americans.

Asper's courage and selfless devotion to duty still can be seen today among the men and women of our armed forces serving in harm's way in Afghanistan, Bosnia, Kosovo, Korea, the Sinai Peninsula and elsewhere around the world in defense of our freedom.