YOUNGSTOWN — David F. Kountz fondly remembers sitting next to a bonfire near Lake Newport in Mill Creek Park during one cold day of ice skating and having a warm 20-minute conversation with Richard L. Powell.

“He got the Navy Cross. … He was quiet,” Kountz, of Poland, recalled. “He was an individual you could sit down and have coffee with. He never said anything bad about anybody.”

Not long after their conversation, Powell was killed Aug. 29, 1968, while serving in the U.S. Navy in the Vietnam War. He was 21.

Powell also was among the 100 Mahoning County soldiers killed in the war who were honored during the annual Laying of the Roses ceremony Sunday next to the Vietnam War Memorial on Central Square.

Also remembered were those who were prisoners of war or are still missing in action.

John P. “J.P.” Brown III, AMVETS’ past national commander, acted as master of ceremonies.

Powell, who attended Chaney High School, received the Navy Cross posthumously for extraordinary heroism as a corpsman with Company L, 3rd Battalion, 7th Marines, in connection with operations against enemy forces in Vietnam.

Powell’s platoon was trying to establish a blocking position near DaNang, Vietnam, when it came under hostile automatic-weapons sniper fire from a large North Vietnamese Army force. Despite the danger, Powell and his unit rushed across a large field and into enemy territory, where he treated the wounded men — under the intense firefight.

Even though Powell was struck by machine-gun fire that immobilized one of his arms, he continued to render first aid to fallen comrades, information Kountz provided showed.

For his part, Kountz was in Vietnam as an Army helicopter pilot. He served eight years of active duty and 32 years in the Army Reserve. He also was a longtime steelworker.

During Sunday’s somber ceremony under mostly cloudy skies and temperatures in the low 70s, the names of the 100 fallen soldiers were read aloud as a bell was tolled and one red rose was placed at the base of the 33-year-old, 7-foot, 6-inch memorial for each of them. Many of those who left a rose also saluted or touched the name of the fallen soldier. A few cried.

The event’s guest speaker was Jan Brown of Boardman, wife of J.P. Brown III, who spoke about the suicide rate among veterans and the importance of them receiving mental health services. Despite an increase in funding from Congress for such services, the suicide rate in that population has not seen a significant decrease, she noted.

“I’m sorry to say, but the highest percentage of suicides is Vietnam veterans,” said Brown, who served in the U.S. Air Force from 1973 to December 2000, rose to the rank of senior master sergeant and has been active with AMVETS since 1996.

Jan Brown explained that after completing their service to the nation, numerous Vietnam veterans resumed their lives via working, raising families and other means. After retiring, though, many had more time “to think about things you don’t want to think about,” she said, adding that being in the military leaves an indelible mark on all who serve.

“I don’t think anybody comes out unscathed,” she continued.

Jan Brown urged veterans who are experiencing difficulties to seek help, which could be peer-to-peer counseling, talking to a trusted person who will listen and be nonjudgmental and exercise. A special type of yoga was designed for veterans, which includes guided meditation and gentle stretch exercises, she explained.

“It took me a long time to know that it’s OK not to be OK,” Jan Brown said, adding that living a thriving life is one of the best ways to honor the 100 county soldiers.

Jan Brown also has been active with Rolling to Remember, said to be the largest veteran motorcycle ride in the country. The ride demands accountability for the more than 80,000 POWs and those missing in action, which includes suicide victims.

Also at the ceremony was Remi Korodi, an Austintown Fitch High School student who’s part of a club called Students Serving Veterans. The group of eight shows its support for those who served the nation, their families and those who are deceased by attending events such as the Laying of the Roses, Korodi explained.

She and a few other members displayed their support Sunday by distributing pins to Gold Star Families.

Korodi added that the student group was started by Kristen O’Neill, who is related to James E. Prommersberger, who served in the Marine Corps and is among the 100 fallen soldiers.

Before the names of the service members were read, several items were displayed that were rich in pensive symbolism, such as an empty chair cover that pointed to a missing comrade being in one’s heart, a single red rose that represented a soldier’s blood sacrifice and the faith loved ones have that the person will return, and yellow ribbons that were symbolic of the proper accounting of the thousands of comrades no longer with their loved ones.

Also at the gathering, Vic Ciorneliussen, a veteran, read aloud a poem titled “A Veteran Died Today.”

In addition, the Fitch High School Concert Choir performed several numbers that included the patriotic Lee Greenwood song “God Bless the USA” as well as the national anthem.