Calvary Cemetery workers installed a headstone for Private First Class (PFC) Christopher Gutierrez on Monday, Sept. 16, 54 years after he was killed in action in Vietnam. Teresa Guerrero and her two sisters participated in the event.

Guerrero visited Calvary Cemetery in Wichita a couple of years ago to pray at the grave of her cousin PFC Christopher Gutierrez but found his grave unmarked. Gutierrez, from St. John, Kansas, was killed in action at age 22 on July 20, 1970, in Binh Tuy, Vietnam. He received a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star with valor for his sacrifice but had no headstone.

Guerrero's efforts to secure a headstone began with a request to the Veteran’s Administration (VA), which rejected it because she was not next-of-kin. “So I called his brother in Illinois…and told him I need to get Chris a headstone,” she said. “He said, ‘I thought the government already did that.’ I told him no; I filled out papers but they won’t accept my request.”

Gutierrez’s brother could not proceed with the request himself, so Guerrero asked him to compose a notarized letter authorizing her to do so. Despite sending this letter to the VA, there was no response.

The situation changed during a family dinner when Guerrero mentioned her problem to her daughter and son-in-law and his friends who were both in the Air Force. They suggested contacting the TV station KSN in Wichita.

Reporter Derek Lytle broadcasted the story on May 27, Memorial Day. “I guess it got to someone in the VA,” Guerrero said. “The next thing I knew, I got a text from somebody and she told me I’ll have a girl contact you.” This led to further communication and eventual resolution.

On Monday, Sept. 16, Guerrero witnessed the installation of PFC Christopher Gutierrez's headstone alongside her mother Clara Gutierres and two sisters.

She expressed gratitude towards KSN and John Sponsel, director of Catholic Cemeteries, for their assistance. Sponsel emphasized the importance of headstones as reminders of loved ones: “It encourages us to visit and pray and give thanks,” he said.

PFC Gutierrez served with Company B, 3rd Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment, 199th Infantry Brigade of the United States Army in Vietnam. His name is listed on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington D.C., at panel 8W/35.