WJAMS Veterans Directory

03/20/2026

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Juan Jose Valdez, 1937-2026

Juan Jose Valdez, the last American servicemember to leave South Vietnam on April 30, 1975, died on February 15. He was 88.

Marine Master Gunnery Sgt. Valdez had served a tour of duty in the Vietnam War as a platoon sergeant in 1965-67. In the spring of 1975, he was the U.S. Embassy's senior security guard noncommissioned officer in Saigon. In that role, he and his men oversaw the chaotic evacuation of the embassy (in photo below) as the North Vietnamese marched into Saigon on April 29.

Early the next morning, the security guards stayed behind until the last helicopter, a CH-45 Sea Knight, prepared to leave from the embassy rooftop.

Ten of the men clambered into the helicopter. As Sgt. Valdez tried to board, he tripped and fell onto the Sea Knight’s boarding ramp as the pilot took off.

Holding on by his hands, Sgt. Valdez was pulled aboard with the flight in the air at around 8:00 a.m. on April 30, 1975—which made him the last American to depart South Vietnam during the long American war.

More details about Sgt. Valdez's life at: https://washingtonmorning.com/2026/02/28/juan-valdez-passes-away-after-a-lifetime-defined-by-the-fall-of-saigon/

02/22/2026

He ran alone across open ground while enemy rifles were already aimed at his chest.
No backup.
No cover.
No hesitation.
That was how 32-year-old Technical Sergeant Bernard P. Bell began his fight in Mittelwihr, France.
His mission was simple and impossible. Take a schoolhouse turned into a German stronghold. The building controlled the entire town. Whoever held it controlled everything.
So Bell went first.
He sprinted across exposed ground, reached the door, surprised two guards, and captured them without firing a shot. Inside, he found more enemy soldiers hiding in the cellar.
He pulled gr***de pins.
And told them to surrender.
One by one, 26 German soldiers came up and laid down their weapons.
Bell turned the school into an American fortress.
Then the real battle began.
For over a day, German troops attacked again and again. Mortars smashed walls. Artillery tore through streets. The building shook. Communication lines were cut.
Each time, Bell ran outside under fire to repair them.
Each time, he came back alive.
German patrols closed in.
His squad fought them off.
A tank rolled forward and began blasting the school apart.
Bell climbed to the second floor anyway.
From shattered walls and falling debris, he called in artillery fire until the tank retreated. Then he shifted that fire onto advancing infantry, breaking their attack.
When enemies hid behind rubble, Bell stood beside a friendly tank under gunfire and pointed out targets. He helped blast holes in walls. He placed machine guns. He cut down every attacker who tried to advance.
By the end, his 8 man squad had k*lled at least 87 enemies and captured 42 more. Bell himself accounted for over 20 and captured 33.
He had turned a school into a battlefield.
And won.
For this, he received the Medal of Honor.
Then he went home.
No fame.
No spotlight.
He worked quietly. Lived quietly. D**d at 59.
A man who once held back an army.
And then disappeared.
Story based on historical records. This post is for educational purposes.

02/22/2026

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The jungle was burning in April 1972. Fire Support Base Charlie was collapsing. Explosions shook the ground. Soldiers were running out of food, water, and ammunition.
And one man refused to leave.
John J. Duffy was already wounded.
Once. Then twice.
Still, he stayed.
Enemy forces were closing in from every direction. The command post was destroyed. The battalion commander was gone. Chaos had taken over.
Duffy stepped forward.
He moved through open ground under constant sh*t and explosions, getting as close as possible to enemy positions. Not to fight them directly.
To call in airstrikes.
Each step exposed him. Each second could have been his last.
Then it got worse.
He was hit again.
Third time.
Still, he refused evacuation.
He stayed in the open, directing gunships, adjusting fire, holding the line together as everything around him fell apart. When enemy forces pushed closer, he made an unthinkable call.
Fire on his own position.
The blasts pushed the enemy back just enough.
Just enough to save his men.
By nightfall, it was clear they could not hold the base. Duffy organized a retreat. He stayed behind, calling in cover fire, making sure every man had a chance to escape.
He was the last to leave.
The next morning, the survivors were ambushed again. Injured. Exhausted. Scattered.
Duffy regrouped them.
Led them.
Fought for them.
He guided them to an evacuation point, still directing gunship support until helicopters arrived. Even then, he refused to board until every other soldier was safe.
Only then did he step on.
He had saved an entire battalion.
The award came later.
Not immediately.
Not when it mattered.
It took 50 years for his Distinguished Service Cross to be upgraded to the Medal of Honor.
50 years.
A lifetime.
Most people still do not know his name.
And that is how sacrifice disappears.
Story based on historical records. This post is for educational purposes.

12/11/2025

12/08/2025

A life well lived. World War II veteran and St. Cloud pillar Pat Rudd has passed away at 104. 🥺 Many of you have sent cards to her since her 100th birthday. Rest in Peace Miss Pat. We will miss you.

http://www.aroundosceola.com/news-newsletter/world-war-ii-veteran-and-st-cloud-pillar-pat-rudd-passes-away-104-friends-and

11/04/2025

We're remembering Airman 1st Class Elizabeth Jacobson, the first female Airman killed in Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom and the first Security Forces member lost in combat since 1975.

On Sept. 28, 2005, she made the ultimate sacrifice when an IED struck her convoy near Camp Bucca, Iraq, just three months into her deployment.

"Liz had a warriors heart," said her father. "She loved serving her country. She was proud to defend freedom."

God bless this amazing American hero🙏🏼🇺🇲

11/01/2025

With deep sorrow, we say farewell to Pearl Harbor survivor George W. Blake, a soldier who stood in the fire of history on that fateful morning of December 7, 1941. Under a sky filled with flames and chaos, he held his ground as America’s innocence burned away, and its resolve was born. For decades after, he carried the memory of those who never came home, not as a burden, but as a sacred duty. Today, his watch has ended, and he joins his 1,177 fallen brothers in eternal peace. We remember his courage, his humility, and the quiet strength of a man who never stopped honoring the day that changed the world.🕊️🇺🇸⚓

10/30/2025

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Rest In Peace Hero...
US Army Nurse Lynda Van Devanter Buckley, an advocate for women veterans, sadly passed away on November 15, 2002 at her home in Virginia, after a long illness. She was only 55.

She served in Vietnam in 1969 and 1970 as a surgical nurse with the 71st Evacuation Hospital in Pleiku, near the Cambodian border. In 1979 she helped launch and became head of the Vietnam Veterans of America Women's Project.

In 1987 the VVA honored her with the Excellence in the Arts Award and in 2002 she received a VVA Commendation Medal.

After retiring in 1984 she continued to write articles, edit volumes of poetry, give speeches and conduct seminars. Lynda suffered from systemic collagen vascular disease, which she attributed to wartime exposure to chemical agents and pesticides.

To read or listen to the accounts of our bravest women warriors please check out the book: Women in War A Gripping Collection of the Untold True Stories of History's Bravest Women Warriors. Available in Paperback, Audiobook and eBook on Amazon, Barnes and Nobles, KOBO, Walmart, Storytel and most major sites!

Amazon Book Link: https://a.co/d/a6ze5Rt

09/30/2025

09/10/2025

For nearly 79 years, the fate of 2nd Lt. Fred L. Brewer Jr., a Tuskegee Airman, remained a mystery. In October 1944, during a bomber es**rt mission, his P-51 Mustang stalled in heavy cloud cover and crashed. Brewer, just 23, was declared Missing in Action, his name carved into the Tablets of the Missing in Italy.

Decades later, wreckage and unidentified remains were traced back to his crash site. Through modern forensic analysis, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency confirmed his identity in 2023. A rosette was placed next to his name, marking him as no longer missing.

On December 6, 2023, Brewer was laid to rest with full military honors, finally home after a lifetime away. His story reflects not only the sacrifice of one man, but the legacy of the Tuskegee Airmen, who fought for freedom abroad while facing prejudice at home.

Lt. Fred L. Brewer’s journey reminds us that time does not erase valor—and that a promise to bring every soldier home endures.

👉 Full story in the comments.

09/01/2025

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"My great uncle Bob Fath served three tours in Vietnam. He passed away on Sunday, and I just felt the need to post this picture of him." -VW

“Children accept the conditions they are born into, and, to a degree get used to the bombings, fires, and death around them.” Goodreads quote

Veterans featured by JennyLasala.com