By PHOEBE DONALD ROBINSON / Community Columnist

Our Vietnam veterans are finally being thanked and recognized across the United States during the war’s 50-year anniversary celebrations in 2015-2017.

The United States of America Vietnam War Commemoration and Partners Program is sponsoring events to “assist a grateful nation in thanking and honoring our Vietnam veterans and their families” (see VietnamWar50th.com).

Shelby County will be having a Vietnam commemorative sponsored event with the Vietnam 50^th Anniversary Commemoration Ride on Saturday, Nov. 7 (see Alpost555.com/events/vietnam-veteran-ride-appreciation/).

Charles William “Bill” Ackley of Shelby Shores was recently honored at a Vietnam Commemorative Partner Prime Beef/Red Horse 50^th Anniversary Celebration of the United States Rapid Engineer Deployable Heavy Operational Repair Squadron Engineer, a.k.a. Red Horse, and Prime Base Engineer Emergency Force Civil Engineering Unit, a.k.a. Prime Beef, at Fort Walton Beach, Fla.

Ackley was assigned in 1967 to the newly formed Red Horse unit, a construction/engineering group in the middle of a war zone – Phan Rang AB in Vietnam. Fresh out of high school where he took drafting, Ackley was asked to draw a logo for the newly formed Red Horse Unit.

Ackley drew “Charging Charlie,” a red horse sitting on a bulldozer carrying a m-16 rifle. Within days, his designed was approved. Soon he was stenciling the logo on all Red Horse equipment, starting with his colonel’s jeep.

“I received an invitation from Retired Red Horse M.Sgt. Joe Hajek who was instrumental with working with NASCAR to run the Red Horse emblem on No. 17 Red Horse truck driven by Timothy Peter of Wiss Racing to honor military Red Horse men and women,” said Ackley. “Joe was aware of my original design and asked if I would please come to the 50^th Red Horse Reunion because he felt after nearly 50 years, it was about time that all the Red horse personnel past and present finally meet the person whose design has gone down in history and is known worldwide. After attending the reunion, I am still in awe over the presentation and honor they presented me.”

Bill will hopefully be present at the Vietnam 50^th event on Nov. 7. His wife Linda is a member of the David Lindsay Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution which will be presenting lapel pins and presidential proclamations from the Vietnam Commemorative Partner Program.