Congressman Chris Smith presented the Bronze Star earned by Mike Vaccaro of Middletown more than 50 years ago to the former soldier at a ceremony in Middletown last week with three generations of Vaccaro’s family present for the long overdue award presentation.
Flying into the jungles of South Vietnam and meeting with community leaders in remote villages was a dangerous job, the then 24 year old army officer said.
“What I was doing was helping local people protect themselves, defend themselves, and know what to do,” when faced with threats from the Viet Cong or North Vietnamese Army raiding their villages, Vaccaro told last week’s at the Congressman’s office. Though the dangerous terrain in the Mekong Delta necessitated he carry an M-14 rifle, grenade launcher or both, Vaccaro said he routinely received friendly welcomes from civilians. “My job was to try to help them help themselves.”
For such risky work, Vaccaro was designated to receive the Bronze Star and he had been mailed a certificate he has kept which states his award was “for meritorious achievement in ground operations against hostile forces in the Republic of Vietnam during the period of August 1971 to April 1972.”
However, the medal itself never arrived. Then-2nd Lt. Vaccaro was shipped home early due to President Nixon’s “Vietnamization” which phased in replacement of U.S. personnel with South Vietnamese forces during the war.
“Over the years I tried to contact the records operation in St. Louis several times with no success,” the Veteran told Smith. “I gave up. When I read your newsletter, I thought I would reach out to you.”
The certificate Vaccaro saved from all those years ago came to good use. Smith reached out to both the Army and the National Personnel Records Center, part of the National Archives, sending them a letter requesting a Bronze Star for the veteran, and included a copy of the certificate. Ultimately, the Army agreed with Smith, and Vaccaro’s record has been amended to reflect the medal.
Present for the ceremony were Vaccaro’s wife, Lynda, daughter Stephanie and son Michael, and grandchildren Alex and Abigail.
“Your family has to know how deeply you are respected,” Smith told the veteran, a Middletown resident who will turn 79 this week. “Thank you for that courage. The Bronze Star is about courage and meritorious service. And that’s you.”
Smith told the family that the fight for a free and democratic Vietnam goes on, noting his Vietnam Human Rights Act, has passed the House three times, but stalled each time in the Senate.
Vaccaro
