My dad, James, is a Vietnam Marine veteran. He served, came home, worked hard, raised our family here in Jersey, and has been fighting cancer for years from Agent Orange exposure. He never once complained or asked for any kind of medal or thank you.
This year, Eric Crafton from the New Jersey Veteran Support Alliance pulled off an amazing surprise: he got the state to award my dad the New Jersey Distinguished Service Medal and the New Jersey Vietnam Service Medal, and showed up at our house to present them on Christmas Eve.
So many Vietnam vets were overlooked when they came home. This felt like a little piece of justice, right in our living room.
Just wanted to share some local good news and say: if you know a NJ veteran who might have been missed, the NJVSA is doing really good work. www.njvsa.org
Thank you for your service Sargent Lamb. I hope you and your family have a very Merry Christmas!
Congrats to your dad and thanks for his service!
ETA: my mom lost both her brothers in Vietnam. While Agent Orange was their official cause of death, both were actually a result of lack of support/mental healthcare. Best wishes for your dad’s health.
Thank you for your service. I’m glad you finally received your medal.
Congratulations and thank you for your service ❤️
Your dad’s smile is everything, thanks for his service!
Thank you for your service!
Congrats to your dad! May the old man keep on humbly kicking ass.
Thank you for your service!
Sending a big Rah to your father. Hes the man
Semper fi. A lot of the men in my pops platoon have all had rare cancers from agent orange. Horrible shit they were exposed to. Who was he with?