For the third year in a row, the Georgia Military Veterans Hall of Fame (GMVHOF) held its award banquet and announced the induction of Georgia heroes into its ranks.
The GMVHOF is a nonprofit corporation charged with the sole purpose of honoring Georgia veterans. The Georgia State Senate passed a proclamation which formally established the GMVHOF in 2013.
According to the GMVHOF website, “The purpose of the Hall of Fame is to honor Georgia military veterans; to educate Georgia citizens, especially young Americans, of the sacrifices for freedom; and to inform the public of inductees’ outstanding accomplishments.”
There were 15 inductees in this year’s class. The group includes seven veterans from World War II, four of whom were posthumous inductees, and the remaining eight veterans served in Vietnam. Ten of the men were chosen for valor, four for service and one for achievement.
Mel Pender Jr. is an Atlanta native and a U.S. Army Captain in Vietnam. He was inducted for achievement as a former Gold Medal Olympian. Pender was on the gold medal winning 4×100 relay in the 1968 Mexico City Olympic Games. Pender hadn’t taken up track until he was in the Army at the age of twenty-five and was later the head track coach at West Point. He earned a bronze star in Vietnam and currently lives in Smyrna.
The Columbus Ledger-Enquirer spotlighted a few of the veterans that live in the Chattahoochee Valley area, including Navy Machinist Mate 1st Class S.O. “Bob” Swygert and Col. Donald “Buzz” McKay Jr. and Army Col. Carlton Gerald Savory. Swygert was the youngest member of an Underwater Demolition Team, the group that would later become the Navy SEALS, in the Pacific Theater. Swygert’s team was in charge of clearing the shoreline of obstacles that might get in the way of approaching landing craft and finding enemy mines. McKay earned a Silver Star for Valor, two Legions of Merit, a Bronze Star, two awards of Meritorious Service Medal, Air Medal and a Joint Services Commendation Medal for his service in and during Vietnam.
Below is the complete list of inductees, including their category of selection, war of service and hometown or current residence:
US Army Sergeant Thedore Carroll DeVore; VALOR; WWII; Athens, Ga (Posthumous Inductee)
US Navy Lieutenant Robert Irwin Gibbs, Jr.; SERVICE; WWII; Decatur, Ga (Posthumous Inductee)
US Army Colonel Fred Orr Jackson; VALOR; WWII; Fayetteville, Ga (Posthumous Inductee)
US Army Colonel Gerald Lord; SERVICE; Vietnam; Dahlonega, Ga
US Army Colonel Donald Mathis McKay, Jr.; VALOR; Vietnam; Columbus, Ga
US Air Force Colonel Birch George McVay; VALOR; WWII & POW; Cochran, Ga (Posthumous Inductee)
US Army Colonel John Day Mooneyham; VALOR; Vietnam; Sautee Nachoochee, Ga
US Marine Corps Captain George Alan Nelson; SERVICE; Vietnam; Woodstock, Ga
US Army Captain Mel Pender, Jr.; ACHIEVEMENT; Vietnam (former Gold Medal Olympian); Smyrna, Ga
US Army Colonel Robert L. W. Powell; VALOR; Vietnam; Carrollton, Ga
US Army Colonel Carton Gerald Savory; SERVICE; Vietnam; Hamilton, Ga
US Army Major General Edison Earl Scholes; VALOR; Vietnam; McCaysville, Ga
US Army 1st Lieutenant Charles Gates Shepherd, Jr; VALOR; WWII; Atlanta, Ga
US Navy Machinist Mate 1st Class S. O. Swygert; VALOR; WWII; Columbus, Ga
US Marine Corps Lieutenant Colonel Ted Francis Wolfe; VALOR; WWII, Korea, & Vietnam; Kennesaw, Ga
Read More: http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/news/local/article44325570.html
And to donate to or learn more about the Georgia Military Veterans Hall of Fame, please see their website here: http://www.gmvhof.org/
