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Warren veteran finally gets his due decades after service
Photo
Vietnam War veteran Thomas Ducharme, center, receives the Bronze Star from Herman Breuer, right, executive director of the Trumbull County Veterans Service Commission. Looking on is U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio. Ducharme, who moved to Warren from Texas and opened a restaurant called Texas Big Dog, also received nine other medals Monday at the restaurant.
By Ed Runyan | runyan@vindy.com
WARREN
A Texas man who recently moved to Warren and opened a restaurant was presented 10 military service medals Monday morning — including a Bronze Star — for his eight years of military service.
Thomas Ducharme, who served one year in Vietnam in 1969 and 1970, enlisted in the Army in 1965 and served as an aviation specialist, drill sergeant and recruiter until 1973.
U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, presented the medals to Ducharme at Ducharme’s new business, Texas Big Dog, 3937 Youngstown Road.
“Mr. Ducharme served his country well,” Brown said.
In addition to receiving the Bronze Star, which is the fourth-highest award given by the U.S. Armed Forces, Ducharme was awarded the Air Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, Republic of Vietnam Campaign Ribbon, Expert Badge and Auto Rifle Bar, Sharpshooter Badge and Rifle Bar and Drill sergeant ID Badge.
Ducharme, who is originally from Texas and has other restaurants there, said he and his wife visited Warren nearly a year ago and moved into the city in February. They opened the restaurant in July.
Ducharme said he learned in 1970 that he had been awarded the medals, but for several reasons he never got them until now.
One reason, Brown said, is that a facility in St. Louis holding certain military information suffered a serious fire toward the end of the war.
Ducharme noted that another reason is because soldiers moved around a lot, so it could at times be difficult to arrange a ceremony.
After two of the medals had been pinned to his jacket, Ducharme said, “Forty-five years. What can I say? I did the things I was asked to do, and I’m glad I did it.”
He added, “To have someone recognize what I did 45 years ago is a privilege.”
Ducharme was a gunner and operations chief on aircraft used to bring troops into and out of combat, he said. He also spent two years in Germany and a number of other locations.
Brown also presented the Bronze Star to Gary Gutelius, commissioner of the Trumbull County Veterans Service Commission. Gutelius was awarded the Bronze Star last year, but it was not presented to him until Monday. He also has the Purple Heart.