Gary Koecheler was awarded the Bronze Star in Vietnam, but few of his friends or acquaintances knew about it until his memorial service last week. He was not the kind of man to brag. He never even told his children what he had done to receive the medal; they still do not know. The son of a railroad worker, Mr. Koecheler, 57, put himself through college and law school and worked at Euro Brokers Inc. He and his wife, Maureen, raised their sons, John and Paul, in Harrison, N.Y., and tried to give them the easy life that he never had. He often teased them by saying that he was a simple man and not a part of the social elite, as they were.

"I love him very much, and I'm proud to be his son," John Koecheler said. "I hope I can step up to the challenge of carrying out his legacy."