Former VVA Louisiana State Council President and longtime National Board of Directors member Richard DeLong died August 31. He was 74 years old. He joined the U.S. Army in 1965 and served for four years, which included two tours of duty in the Vietnam War with the Army Security Agency.

“Richard was one of a handful of VVA leaders who served the organization steadfastly at the local, state, and national levels,” said VVA President John Rowan. “His loss will be deeply felt by his family and friends—and by his VVA family.”

A former chair of the VVA National POW/MIA Committee, Richard DeLong made two trips to Vietnam as part of the committee’s Veterans Initiative program, and was a member of the Veterans Incarcerated and Membership Affairs Committees, as well as the Veterans Against Drugs Task Force. He served as sergeant-at-arms, treasurer, and president of Arcadiana Chapter 141 in Lafayette, Louisiana, on the board of VVA’s Veterans Assistance Foundation, and on the Veteran’s Advisory Committee for the VA Medical Center in Alexandria, Louisiana.

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