Trending
Although Edward Mackey doesn’t like to talk about his time in the Vietnam War, his military accomplishments will be brought to the forefront Sunday when he is inducted into the The Joseph A. Dugan Jr. Soldiers & Sailors Hall of Valor in Pittsburgh.
Mackey is among 17 inductees, said John McCabe, president of the Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall & Museum Trust Inc., a multi-faceted, nonprofit organization geared toward honoring and remembering veterans.
Mackey, a 73-year-old Army veteran, graduated from Altoona High School in 1959 before attending the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, graduating in 1964; attending Airborne and Ranger schools; and commanding an artillery battery from September 1967 to 1968 in Vietnam.
In order to be inducted into the Hall of Valor, McCabe said candidates must meet certain criteria. They must have ties to Pennsylvania and have been honorably discharged, he said. Also, they have to possess a medal of valor.
According to a July 5, 1968, Mirror article, Mackey, an Altoona native and Army captain, was awarded the Soldier’s Medal after helping to drag a wounded soldier from a burning building housing small arms ammunition, hand grenades and other munitions, which began to explode.
According to the report, Mackey dragged him a safe distance from the burning building and assisted in treating the soldier until medical help arrived.
Mackey said he doesn’t know who nominated him for induction, and he doesn’t like the attention.
“I really don’t speak of my time in Vietnam,” Mackey said. “Nobody wins in a war.”
Still, Mackey’s brother, William, said his brother is well-deserving, and he is pleased to see him honored at the induction ceremony.
“He is a little bit shy about it, but it’s long deserving,” William of Alexandria, Va., said. “He is my best friend and my brother, and he has done many good things.”
While not looking for attention, Mackey said he was appreciative when he was notified about the induction via email.
“I had two thoughts really. No. 1, I was honored, but, No. 2, I was also humbled. I questioned whether I deserved it.”
Mackey said he is excited to meet his fellow inductees, especially those who fought in World War II, who he said made a “real difference.”
During a Wednesday conversation, however, Mackey focused more on his future, revealing that he recently retired after working as a businessman in Chicago and Indiana, Pa., for decades.
He said for the past several years, he has split his time between a residence in Florida, as well as his Indiana home. He said he plans to continue this tradition.
Mackey said he is most looking forward to completing a trek he has planned for the past three years. He said he hopes to hike the Appalachian Trail – a roughly 2,180-mile trail stretching from Georgia to Maine.
“Overall, life has been good,” Mackey said, reflecting on his past. “I probably wouldn’t change anything.”
McCabe said the induction ceremony is slated for 2 p.m. Sunday in Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall & Museum along Fifth Avenue in Pittsburgh.
The hall was founded in 1910 to accommodate Allegheny County’s Civil War veterans, and, in 1963, the first set of veterans – mostly from the Civil War – were inducted, McCabe said.
Since then, he said almost 700 veterans from across the state, who served at different times and in different branches of the military, have been inducted.
McCabe said the Sunday ceremony is open to the public at no cost.
Mirror Staff Writer Sean Sauro is at 946-7535.