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From Vietnam to Afghanistan: A U.S. veteran's four decades of duty
April 23 (UPI) -- After a career that's spanned more than 40 years, a Virginia soldier will retire this summer as perhaps the only remaining recipient of a Vietnam Service Medal still serving in the U.S. military.U.S. Army Sgt. First Class Victor T. Wright entered the military in 1974 at age 17 as a way to "see the world" and get an education. Now 61, he will retire Aug. 31 after a career that included stints in both the Army and Navy, five enlistments and six deployments. His final post, as a senior aviation maintenance instructor in the Army's 128th Aviation Brigade, is at Fort Eustis, Va. Wright has served a role in virtually every major conflict of his lifetime -- Vietnam, Gulf Wars I and II and Kosovo -- and tours in the Pacific theater, Indian Ocean, Kenya and Korea. In fact, he may be the sole remaining active duty Vietnam veteran, according to military officials. In June 2015, the Marine Corps Times wrote a story about Michael Jarnevic, a Green Beret considered the last person in uniform whose service record includes a tour in Vietnam. He retired the following month. After Wright read the story, he called editors of the magazine to let them know there's at least one more. "We're not 100 percent sure, but it's very likely he is the last one," Capt. Jeremy Stoddard said. "We've been trying to figure this out for years. It's very unlikely anyone would have been in the service that long, for 40-plus years." Posted by: Besoeker 2018-04-23 |
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