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Hats Off To Our Vietnam Vets
Several weeks ago I, Barbara Jessie-Black, Executive Director, found a POW bracelet in one of the many bins of donated jewelry. Being a dependent of a Vietnam Vet, and having owned and worn a POW bracelet as a pre-teen and teenager, I decided to make it my mission to find the family of the POW and to return this bracelet to them.
I posted the information (name, rank, date of POW status) on one of the many Vietnam Vet sites on the internet and waited. I had just about given up on the idea of finding any information, when I received an email from someone who had tracked down the information that I was seeking. To my excitement, he was a North Carolina native! Not only was he born and raised in Mt. Airy, after his repatriation in 1973 (he remained a POW from 1966 to 1973), he returned to Mt. Airy and has lived there ever since.
I tracked him down via the information I was sent, and spoke with him by phone to share “our find” with him. Of course, he was surprised! We chatted for about 30 minutes. Once I got off the phone, I couldn’t wait to share this experience with all who would listen. People with whom I shared my story were equally as excited, and amazed by the find and the outcome. Some, like me, with a personal connection to the Vietnam War, were moved to tears.
This experience hit home the message that we are not just a “thrift shop” selling used “stuff.” We are a place where people donate their memories, their dreams that have been realized and passed, so that others can create new memories, realize their dreams, and in some cases change someone’s life.
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