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Pembroke called out for Run for Heroes
runforheroes
Run for the Heroes has a website at www.runfortheheroes.com - photo by Screenshot
By Paul Floeckher
Updated: May 21, 2015, 4:10 PM
Published: May 21, 2015, 4:11 PM

A big group of runners and cyclists will pass through Bryan County on Saturday morning for a good cause.

Pembroke will be the first stop for the seventh annual Run for the Heroes, a 260-mile jaunt across Georgia from Fort Stewart to Fort Benning. This portion of the raise is for cyclists and relay teams. Individual runners started Wednesday.

Run for the Heroes raises money to make needed repairs to homes of military veterans and public-safety workers who don’t have the means to do it themselves.

“It’s for veterans, police, fire, EMS — anyone that is in dire need of some type of improvement to their home,” said Sharroll Fanslau, the director of the Downtown Development Authority of Pembroke. “And this all stays within the state of Georgia.”

The city will have a rest station set up from 6-11 a.m. Saturday at the Alco store on West Bacon Street. The participants can stop for a drink, muffins and fruit, and cool off under a tent before starting the next leg of the journey.

The public is invited to cheer on the runners and riders as they come into Pembroke off Highway 119, turn west onto Highway 280 and receive a Pembroke police and fire escort to the rest stop at Alco. The route through downtown will be lined with American flags.

“It’s fun and it’s a good thing for our community to support,” Fanslau said. “It’s not (just) for the community, it’s for the whole state. It’s a very good cause.”

The runners will complete the 260-mile trek on relay teams. The bicyclists are a new addition this year to Run for the Heroes.

“We’re expecting some 300-plus teams, whether they’re cyclists or relay runners, coming through Pembroke,” Mayor Mary Warnell said.

The fundraiser is sponsored by the House of Heroes Chattahoochee Valley Chapter. Founded in 2000, House of Heroes provides free house repairs to military and public safety veterans who are disabled, elderly, living on a fixed income or facing some other physical or financial challenge.

 “They have assisted by remodeling or even just updating over 550 veterans’ homes in the state of Georgia,” Warnell said.
The organization’s goal this year is to help 50 homeowners. More than $89,000 has been pledged so far for the 2015 Run for the Heroes, according to the organization’s website. For more information or to make a donation, go to runfortheheroes.com.

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Exchange Service salutes Vietnam vets with custom truck design
Army and Air Force Exchange Service redesigned logo 2011
Bryan County News
Published: Apr 10, 2018, 1:53 PM

To thank Vietnam veterans for their sacrifices, the Army and Air Force Exchange Service is debuting a new truck design, part of the Department of Defense retailer’s efforts alongside the United States of America Vietnam War Commemoration to honor veterans during the 50th anniversary of the war.

“The Exchange is privileged to have the opportunity to recognize Vietnam veterans through our fleet,” said Exchange Director/CEO Tom Shull, who served in the Army during the Vietnam era. “These trucks will serve as rolling billboards, expressing gratitude for all who served during this era.”

The truck design features the silhouette of a lone service member set against the background of a faded horizon with a call to “thank a Vietnam veteran for service to our nation.” The single military member represents the warfighters who served during this time.

Three trucks in the fleet feature the commemorative design and will deliver merchandise to Exchange stores from the organization’s distribution centers in the continental United States.

The West Coast Distribution Center at Sharpe Army Depot in California; Dan Daniel Distribution Center in Newport News, Va.; and the Waco Distribution Center in Texas will each have a truck in service on their standard delivery routes, serving the whole country.

Air Force veteran Pat Thompson served in Vietnam before coming to the Exchange as a truck driver and mechanic. In his 18 years with the Exchange, he has deployed four times to support the troops. The new design means a lot to him.

“They remember,” said Thompson, who is based at the Exchange’s Waco Distribution Center. “We want to be remembered.”

The trucks also highlight the veteran online shopping benefit, which launched in November. The lifelong online military exchange benefit authorizes all who served honorably to enjoy tax-free shopping and exclusive military pricing at ShopMyExchange.com.

The United States of America Vietnam War Commemoration is a program administered by the Office of the Secretary of Defense to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War. The U.S. began commemoration of the Vietnam War’s 50th anniversary in 2012 and will continue through Veterans Day 2025.

The Exchange is a 50th Anniversary Vietnam War Commemorative Partner, planning and conducting events and activities that recognize Vietnam veterans and their families for service, valor and sacrifice in conjunction with the commemoration.

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