 | Director: Dave Broeker
Warrior's Medal of
Valor  Please click HERE to Download a PDF of all this information.
2013 Recipients
2014 Recipients
2016 Recipients
2022 Recipients
The VDHA to Present the Warrior’s Medal of Valor (WMV) Award at Each Reunion.
This award allows for more member participation and gives the individual VDHA members a chance for input into its programs. There are many of our members who deserve to be recognized with this very special honor for the good things they may have accomplished in the past or are currently pursuing in their lives. It recognizes VDHA member’s exceptional efforts to make a difference in their communities or organizations or for past actions. Please take this opportunity to nominate someone deserving. This award will be presented to two nominated VDHA members at every VDHA Reunion.
History of the medal: The award was created by Native American, Marshall Tall Eagle Serna of Woodburn, OR. Marshall Tall Eagle is a Vietnam Veteran who served a total of 14 years in the Army and Air Force. The Chief designed the medal in 2002. Soon after, it was approved as the official medal for presentation for all tribes desiring to use the medal to pay tribute to and honor all veterans and current military personnel regardless of their cultural background. Through discussions and purchases of medals with Marshall Tall Eagle’s family the VDHA has been assured of its permission to award the medal to its members as appropriate.
Sadly,
Marshall Tall Eagle passed on May 19, 2018. “He loved and had great respect for
his fellow service men and wanted each and every one of them to be recognized
for their service to their country,” said Rowland “Rovin Hawk” Matthews, past
Tribal Council and Board of Directors member, elder and citizen of the United
Cherokee Ani-yun-wiya Nation in Alabama. “He was totally committed to
presenting these medals but only if done properly. More than once he
stressed that the recipient understand that this presentation was from all
“Native Nations” and that the presenters had the blessings from them.” Marshall
Tall Eagle asked that, “when veterans are bestowed this medal that the
presenting tribes and organizations use their protocol for this very special
ceremony.”
USAF MSgt Alvin W. (Sarge) Matthews (Ret), CRB RVN 1971–1972, 483rd SPS, Tiger Flight, a Vietnam Security Police Association (VSPA) member learned of this medal through his cousin and tribal elder Rowland Matthews. Sarge was recognized and awarded his Warrior’s Medal of Valor in October 2004 at the Cherokee Nation’s Powwow in his home town of Scottsboro, Alabama.
Sarge was determined to see his VSPA Brothers honored as well. To make that possible, he established the criteria he believed best represented the VSPA, and funded the purchase of the medals and participated in their presentation from 2005 through 2007. Sarge passed away and posted his final guard-mount on January 4, 2008. His daughter Janet Mathews now assists on the VSPA Nomination Review Committee and as Coordinator.
With the approval of then President Fred Dorr during the membership meeting in Orlando 2011 John Homa presented the idea of the VDHA awarding the Warriors Medal of Valor to VDHA members. With consensus of the members at the meeting John proceeded to move forward with the new award program. He developed the criteria and process for the nominations. With the approval of Fred he put together the nomination review committee; he purchased the awards and prepared communication messages and articles about the program in DogMan. The first two VDHA members nominated by their brother VDHA members were Dave Broeker and Johnny Mayo who received their Medals through the VDHA in 2013.
Currently: The Warriors Medals of Valor will be presented at the 2018 VDHA Reunion Banquet Dinner. All VDHA members have an opportunity to nominate someone deserving of this award.
The current VDHA Board has now approved the program through a resolution and has developed a more defined set of criteria for the nomination review committee. The basic nomination criteria and process by fellow VDHA members remains the same. There is no higher honor than to be recognized by a fellow veteran and or friend. There is a section that deals with medals given to non-members under very special circumstance with prior approval of the VDHA Board provided the criteria one of the numbers 2 through 5 is met in the nomination section of the resolution.
VDHA Nomination Criteria:
- Nominees should be current members of the VDHA; and meet at least one or more of the following:
- The Warrior’s Medal is awarded for valor, for an action or actions in Vietnam or Thailand that were never recognized by the Military or,
- Outstanding service to the VDHA or,
- Outstanding and consistent or ongoing service to or for deployed troops or veterans or,
- Outstanding and consistent or ongoing service to or for Military Working Dogs past or present.
WMV Nominations by fellow VDHA members are to be received by an award nomination review committee made up of five individuals who will use a 10 point system for each nomination. A score of one to ten will be assigned by the individual committee members to each nomination in the selection of two VDHA nominees for each year the reunion is held. The two highest total nominations up to 50 points will be considered as nominees for that year. Ties will be broken by consensus of the committee. Those nominees not selected in a particular year have the right to be re-submitted in following years.
The nomination review committee will be selected and approved of by each currently seated VDHA President and will consist of:
- The VDHA President.
- Three active members of the VDHA. At least one member should have served in Vietnam and one member should have served in Thailand. The three active VDHA members should, as best as, possible come from the different military services, Army, Navy, Air Force and or Marines.
- An option for the President to choose a 4th additional VDHA member or one non-VDHA member.
Nomination Review Committee Members for an upcoming VDHA Reunion are as follows:
- VDHA President John Harvey - US Marines, Marine Scout Dog, Vietnam, or Current VDHA President.
- Johnny Mayo - US Army, 39th Infantry Platoon, Scout Dogs (Bien Hoa), Vietnam
- John Homa - US Air Force, 388 SPS K-9 Korat & 635 SPS K-9 U-Tapao Sentry Dogs, Thailand
- Harry Peterson - US Navy, Sentry Dogs, Vietnam
- Janet Mathews - Daughter of USAF MSgt Alvin W. (Sarge) Matthews
Your nominations should be received by the nomination review committee no later than August 10 each year to be evaluated in time for the reunion. There will be up to a maximum of two VDHA recipients each reunion year to receive the award.
Nominations must contain the name of the nominee, dates of service in Vietnam or Thailand, and unit(s) name and number. It must contain the name of the VDHA member making the nomination and contact information. It must contain one or more of the nomination criteria listed above in numbers 2 through 5 that the VDHA member is being nominated for. The nomination text itself should have as much written information as possible, (not just “so and so is a great person, I know him well”), describing the event or events or circumstances or activity past or present of why the VDHA member is being nominated. It should contain the Who, What, Why, Where, When and How to the best of the nominators knowledge.
Those VDHA members wishing to nominate a fellow member for the Upcoming Reunion should send a nomination to VDHA President John Harvey at jrhcpa@hhcpas.com or John Homa at jmhoma@earthlink.net by August 10th of each reunion year. If you do not have e-mail please send a nomination by letter to President John Harvey, 3000 Holiday Drive, Unit 1101, Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33316.
The
following link is a short YouTube video of one of the ceremonies in Prescott,
AZ:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQ6tehqR2mM
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