- December 5, 2025
Guest veteran speaker and Medal of Honor recipient Melvin Morris, of Port St. John, shakes hands with Mike "Gunny" Clements of Marine Corps League Detachment 876. Photo by Paige Wilson
Vietnam War veteran Jack Lehman (Navy) poses with Vietnam era veteran Will Stoler (Army). Photo by Paige Wilson
Guest speaker Melvin Morris, of Port St. John, shares his experience receiving the Congressional Medal of Honor from then-President Barack Obama in 2014. Photo by Paige Wilson
Marine Corps League Detachment 876 representative Darrell V. Muir accepts a certificate from VFW Post 8696 Cmdr. Keith Tremblay. Photo by Paige Wilson
Vietnam veterans pack the VFW Post 8696 to receive a pin to honor their service. Photo by Paige Wilson
VFW Post 8696 Cmdr. Keith Tremblay poses with Melvin Morris, of VFW Post 10131, who received the Congressional Medal of Honor in 2014. Photo by Paige Wilson
Harold Holloway served in the U.S. Navy during the Vietnam War from 1964-1965. Photo by Paige Wilson
Disabled American Veterans Chapter 86 treasurer Charles Hanger accepts a certificate from VFW Post 8696 Cmdr. Keith Tremblay. Photo by Paige Wilson
Vietnam veteran Edward Boyle poses with Helene Boyle. Photo by Paige Wilson
Flagler Beach resident Randy Jaye poses with Vietnam era veteran Jim Zeisler. "I wear this hat because of guys like that," Jaye said about his USA headwear. Photo by Paige Wilson
The playful rivalries between U.S. military branches were set aside on Saturday, Aug. 18, to honor all Flagler County Vietnam War and Vietnam era veterans during a ceremony hosted at the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 8696.
Veterans and their spouses received pins honoring their service to the war that had over 58,000 American solider casualties.
As the guest speaker, Melvin Morris, of Port St. John, received a standing ovation after he spoke of the real reason receiving the Congressional Medal of Honor in 2014 from then-President Barack Obama matters to him.
"When people receive that award, someone is paying the ultimate sacrifice. Those are the real heroes," Morris said. "When I received the Congressional Medal of Honor, they never tell you how many people died that day; they'll tell you about what I did, but a lot of people gave their lives for me to stand here with this Congressional Medal of Honor. So, I wear this Congressional Medal of Honor for all those that gave their lives. They gave the ultimate sacrifice; those are the ones we should stand here and remember. ... So, I represent them, and I do my best to do that every day — every single day."
Visit http://www.vfw8696.com or call 446-8696 to contact the VFW Post 8686 in Palm Coast.
