DALLAS – Vietnam-era Veterans received lasting mementoes to honor their sacrifice during pinning ceremonies at Army & Air Force Exchange Service stores around the world on March 29—National Vietnam War Veterans Day.
The lapel pins, provided in partnership with the United States of America Vietnam War Commemoration, are a token of the Nation’s appreciation for these heroes, who, decades ago, did not receive the homecomings they deserved.
Purple Heart recipient James Mebane, of Flower Mound, Texas, was among the Vietnam-era Veterans who came to Exchange headquarters in Dallas on March 29 to be honored with a lapel pin.
Mebane was drafted on Dec. 27, 1967, just four days after his 20th birthday. During his first assignment at Fort Myer, Va., Mebane recalls having to drive an ambulance from Rader Army Clinic to Walter Reed Army Medical Center through Georgetown University, where students would shake and spit on the vehicle.
In Vietnam, Mebane served as a combat medic in Bravo Troop, 3rd Squadron, 4th Armored Calvary Regiment, 25th Infantry Division. He has reconnected with several men whose lives he saved during the War, including a man on whom he performed a quadruple amputation, at a handful of troop reunions.
Mebane said the public has been slow to recognize the sacrifices he and his fellow Vietnam Veterans made. He can’t remember being thanked for his service until after 9/11. The Exchange pinning event is the first time he has been officially honored in the 50 years following Vietnam.
“I’m quite privileged to be here,” he said. “It’s kind of nice to be honored for a change.”
In Washington, D.C., Exchange Director/CEO Tom Shull, a West Point graduate who began his Army service during the Vietnam era, received a pin on behalf of the Exchange during a ceremony at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
The United States of America Vietnam War Commemoration is a program administered by the Office of the Secretary of Defense to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War. The U.S. began commemoration of the Vietnam War’s 50th anniversary in 2012 and will continue through Veterans Day 2025.
The Exchange is a 50th Anniversary Vietnam War Commemorative Partner, planning and conducting events and activities that recognize Vietnam Veterans and their families for service, valor and sacrifice in conjunction with the Commemoration.
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Since 1895, the Army & Air Force Exchange Service (Exchange) has gone where Soldiers, Airmen and their families go to improve the quality of their lives by providing valued goods and services at exclusive military pricing. The Exchange is the 56th-largest retailer in the United States. Its earnings provided $2.4 billion in dividends to support military morale, welfare and recreation programs over the last 10 years. The Exchange is a non-appropriated fund entity of the Department of Defense and is directed by a Board of Directors. To find out more about the Exchange history and mission or to view recent press releases please visit our Web site at http://www.shopmyexchange.com or follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/ExchangePAO.
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Media Notes:
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