Donald Martindale , of , Warren , has been named the seventh victim of the annual Pat Daniels Macomb County Veteran of the Year.
The county , Board of Commissioners , proclaimed it so Wednesday at a council conference attended by Martindale, his woman, Mary, and son, Paul, and most of the county , Veterans Services Commission  , at the county , Administration Building , in , Mount Clemens.
Martindale, 77, who was wounded in , Vietnam , while serving in the Army, received the award for his involvement in several soldiers companies in which he helps soldiers in various methods.
” It’s his full-time job”, said Mary in an exam following the lecture.
Paul said,” I am aware that he makes his best effort to provide soldiers with soldiers providers.”
He is chief of , VFW Post 1794 , in , Mount Clemens , and part of , Handicapped American Veterans, Military Order of the Cooties Macomb,  , Vietnam Veterans of America,  , Oakland County Service Officers Association  , and soldiers fee. He helps move lotto once a month each at the , John D. Dingell VA Medical Center , in , Detroit , and , Michigan Veteran Homes , in , Chesterfield Township.
Martindale “unselfishly gives his time, strength, and undaunted attempts to Macomb County’s large and growing group of soldiers in have”, the statement says. ” As a former himself,  , Donald Martindale , serves his society each and every day as a compassionate and empathetic argue for our state’s servicemen”.
He engages in “public company with honesty, sincerity, passion, and a real participation in activities and projects that promote enhancement and improvement of the quality of life for all people is a dream and aspiration that many people seek, but are hardly ever successful or fulfilled,” it continues.
Michael Salyers, one of his fellow commission, called Martindale” the most reasonable” among the seven-member business.
Martindale was afraid to talk and deflected concerns about his efforts, though he said of the payment:” We do a lot of good for the servicemen”.
He claimed that he helps promote the services provided by the county’s Veterans Services, which is financed by a tiny countywide millage, and that he raises money for veterans through the veterans organizations.
Martindale arrived at the board chambers on Wednesday and was n’t informed that he was receiving the award. He visited while his wife and son went grocery shopping while the veterans commission was holding a finance meeting.
He claimed that when he was given the audience seat placement, he initially had an inkling. When he learned about the proclamation, he almost did n’t respond.
” I’m honored”, he said afterward. When someone honors you, you must be respected.
Martindale served from , August 1966 , to , May 1968 , in the , 173rd Airborne Division , and 82nd , Airborne Division of the Army. He claimed that because he was shot in the hip in 1967 and given a Purple Heart, he only spent time traveling for training and medical purposes. He returned to , the United States , for treatment and was ordered back to , Vietnam , and finished his service. He said he served throughout , Vietnam , and entered , Laos , and , Cambodia.
He grew up in , Highland Park , and , Detroit. He and his family moved to , Warren , in 1979 and he worked at the , General Motors Technical Center , in , Warren , for 38 years. Before retiring in 2007, he claimed to have started drafting and had run a dynamometer for many years. It evaluated engine performance.
Amber and Kris are his children, too.
The award was created in 2019 to award to a veteran” who exemplifies the incredible commitment to service, honor, and integrity of the county’s extensive community of outstanding veterans”. It was soon given the Daniels name in honor of a , Vietnam , veteran who served in the Army. Daniels, who has moved to , Florida, asked Salyers to send his regards.
Accompanying , Donald Martindale , on Wednesday after he received the 2024 Pat Daniels Macomb County Veteran of the Year award are his son, Paul, from left, county Chief Veteran Service Officer , Laura Rios, Veterans Commissioner , Robert Slavko, Veterans Commissioner , Manual Gonzalez, wife Mary,  , Veterans Commission  , Chairman , Therese Wrobel, Veterans Commissioner , Dave Archer,  , Veterans Commissioner and Commission  , Vice Chairman , Michael Salyers , and Commissioner , Joel Rutherford.
___
( c ) 2024 The Macomb Daily
Distributed by , Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
