Exchanges Worldwide Honor Vietnam Veterans

GRAFENWOEHR, Germany – Main Store Manager Denise Lundie attaches a commemorative pin to a Vietnam Veteran’s pocket.

Vietnam-era Veterans received lasting mementoes to honor their sacrifice during pinning ceremonies at Exchanges 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 our 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 the Exchange’s headquarters Express 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 of the men whose lives he saved during the War, including a man on whom he performed a quadruple amputation, at a handful of troop reunions.

The public has been slow to recognize the sacrifices made by Mebane and his fellow Vietnam Veterans. He can’t remember being thanked for his service until after 9/11, and 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.”

At Kadena AB, Japan, Exchange associates arranged for the pins to be delivered to the homes or doctor appointments of Vietnam Veterans whose mobility issues prohibited them from coming to the store. The deliveries were coordinated through a local VFW member.

Director/CEO Tom Shull receives a commemorative pin from The Honorable Elaine Duke, Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security, during the National Vietnam Veterans Day celebration in Washington, D.C.

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.

View photos in Flickr of Exchange pinning ceremonies around the world. Album will be updated as more photos are sent in.

Read a fact sheet about the Vietnam Commemorative Pin and its rich symbolism.

Check out the Exchange history Flickr album to see and read about how we served the troops during the Vietnam War. Go to the Vietnam War section.