Veteran's SpotlightElaine Spadafora of Chittenango writes:
This is my husband, Sergeant Vincent Spadafora, who proudly served in the US Army from 1967 to 1970 during the Vietnam War. He served as a Photo Journalist and Broadcaster. He wrote several articles for the Stars and Stripes newspaper. Vinnie survived two close calls, once a radio station he was working in was blown up and another time a helicopter he was in was shot down. He was injured and had to live the rest of his life with shrapnel still in his body. Vinnie’s “Blackhorse” 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment saw action in the summer of 1968 when the North Vietnamese were threatening Saigon. After two days of heavy fighting, the Regiment drove them away. On May 1970, the Blackhorse stood ready to spearhead the Allied incursion into Cambodia. Massive fire strikes by B-52’s had already prepared the target area, then the Blackhorse crossed into Cambodia. The Regiment was ordered to force-march 40 kilometers in 48 hours further north to capture the City of Seoul. Vinnie was awarded Purple Heart Medal/Ribbon, Air Medal, Ribbon, Army Commendation Medal/Ribbon, Army Good Conduct Medal/Ribbon, National Defense Service Medal/Ribbon, Vietnam Service Medal/Ribbon and Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal/Ribbon. When Vinnie returned home he spent more than 40 years as a teacher/Professor/Department Head of the now Broadcast Media Department at OCC. Vinnie passed away on March 15, 2013.
