Army & Air Force Exchange Service honors Vietnam vets with tribute trailers

Vietnam veterans are being honored with a special tribute via a custom truck design that will decorate tractor-trailers delivering merchandise to Army and Air Force base exchanges.

The Army & Air Force Exchange Service debuted three new 53-foot rolling billboards for their trucks, delivering a message of thanks to those who served during the Vietnam War.

The tribute was designed by Johnny Olson, creative director for the Army and Air Force Exchange Service. Olson served in the Marine Corps during the Gulf War.

Olson said the images on the trailer wrap come from the National Archives.

“The tractor that we have on this truck has an American eagle with a flag behind it, and that transitions into the truck wrap which we carry that same flag that’s on the cab into the front of the trailer,” he told Land Line Now.

The message reads: “On behalf of a grateful nation, thank you for your service and sacrifice.” Alongside the message is an image from the National Archives of a young soldier, and in the background names carved into the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall can be seen.

The Exchange created the custom truck design to express gratitude to Vietnam Veterans. The Exchange also plans and conducts events to recognize the service, valor and sacrifice of Vietnam veterans and their families in partnership with the United States of America Vietnam War Commemoration.

“It’s so important we always remember these Veterans’ service,” Exchange Director and CEO Tom Shull, who served in the Army during the Vietnam era, said in a news release. “The Exchange is grateful for our Vietnam veterans and for the opportunity to thank them with this special truck design.”

The three trucks will transport goods from the Exchange’s continental U.S. distribution centers to service members throughout the country. The Dayton, Ohio truck terminal; Dan Daniel Distribution Center in Newport News, Va.; and the Waco Distribution Center will each have a truck in service on their standard delivery routes.

In addition to being out on the road, the trucks will also be on display at MacDill Air Force Base, Fla., Joint Base San Antonio, Texas, and Fort Carson, Colo., for the National Vietnam War Veterans Day ceremonies on March 29.

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 Commemoration was authorized by Congress, established under the secretary of defense and launched by the President in 2012. It will continue through Veterans Day 2025.

The Army & Air Force Exchange Service provides goods and services to soldiers, airmen and their families at exclusive military pricing. Since November 2017, all honorably discharged veterans can now shop the Exchange tax-free for life at ShopMyExchange.com.

Land Line Now news anchor Terry Scruton contributed to this report.