Vietnam veteran Jim Hubbard has earned many honors throughout his life in both war and peacetime.
Today, he will add one more to his wall.
The commander of the Oxford-based North Oakland Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 334 has been named the Michigan Veteran of the Year 2015.
‘It means a lot to me,? said Hubbard, who lives in Orion Township. ‘It’s just tremendous.?
Hubbard will receive the state award tonight at Comerica Park in downtown Detroit. He’ll then throw out the ceremonial first pitch before the Tigers face the Seattle Mariners.
‘This will be my second time (going) into the Detroit area,? he said. ‘I’ve only been across 8 Mile (Road) once.?
In 1969, Hubbard visited the Veterans Affairs hospital in Allen Park as part of his recovery from the severe wounds he sustained in Vietnam.
‘That’s the last time I went into Detroit or even near Detroit,? said Hubbard, whose courage under fire and lifesaving actions during the war earned him a Silver Star, Bronze Star and Purple Heart.
Hubbard, who’s now in his third year as post commander, has done a lot to earn the Michigan Veteran of the Year award.
Hubbard distributed poppies from dusk to dawn for three days in May and personally collected $6,006 in donations. Overall, Post 334’s poppy drive collected a total of $37,134 this year.
He chaired three programs that help promote patriotism amongst both students and teachers. He also frequently visits schools and meets with Oxford and Lake Orion students to provide them with a first-hand account of the Vietnam War that surpasses anything in history textbooks.
Hubbard personally raised more than $10,000 for the Fallen Warrior Memorial, a monument that’s part of the Orion Veterans Memorial.
He and his wife, Kathy, collected and delivered more than 25,000 Campbell’s Soup labels and various box tops to help the VFW National Home for Children in Eaton Rapids acquire a van and nursery supplies.
Hubbard is no stranger to receiving accolades for his active involvement in the post and his dedication to veterans? causes.
Last year, the VFW named Hubbard both All-American Team Commander and All-State Team Commander.
But no matter how many awards Hubbard receives, he remains the same humble guy.
‘I just keep trying to do the best I can for the post and the guys,? he said. ‘My main goal is to make sure the guys here are happy and we’re doing what we’re supposed to do at our post level.?
Hubbard didn’t become involved in the VFW until much later in life. The catalyst was seeing some soldiers who had come home from Iraq paying tribute to a fallen comrade.
‘I saw the hurt in their eyes,? he said. ‘It just started me thinking about those that I lost in Vietnam.?
Feeling the need to do something and make some sort of commitment to this new generation of veterans, Hubbard joined the VFW about six years ago.
‘I’ve got to help those younger guys coming back, so that they have a better life,? he said. ‘I just can’t sit around and watch time go by. I made a commitment to do better.?
Hubbard believes it’s up to veterans to help fellow veterans.
‘We can’t count on the government anymore to help,? he said. ‘There’s nobody here to take care of them but us veterans.?
To him, the government seems to spend more time finding ways to ‘shirk? its ‘responsibility to veterans? than actually helping them.
‘They just don’t seem to care,? Hubbard said. ‘They don’t care as much as they did back in the day.?
Due to advancements in the field of medical care, Hubbard believes more of today’s veterans are surviving with wounds that would have otherwise killed them back in the Vietnam era. This has translated into a greater need for support and resources to help them make the transition to civilian life.
‘These boys are being sent back with horrendous wounds ? no arms, no legs, half-bodies,? he said. ‘It’s nice that they come back alive, but the struggle (they face) for the next 30 or 40 years is tremendous. They can save you with catastrophic wounds, but when you get (home), you’ve got to go back into society.?
Hubbard knows where of he speaks.
During his last battle in Vietnam on Aug. 17, 1967, he sustained severe injuries that resulted in the loss of his right arm and right hip, multiple shrapnel wounds in his back and other wounds that required him to undergo 27 surgeries over a two-year period.
Hubbard has no regrets because his heroic actions that day saved the lives of every single man in his squad.
Besides helping today’s veterans readjust to civilian life, Hubbard also wants to help ensure they never have to endure the attacks Vietnam veterans suffered when they returned home as anti-war protesters called them ‘horrendous names? and ‘treated (them) like scum.?
‘We don’t ever want that, ever ? (being) ashamed for doing what we were told to do,? he said. ‘That’s why I think us veterans of the Vietnam era are trying so hard to make sure (today’s veterans are) not forgotten and certainly not treated the way we were.?
Whenever or wherever people encounter veterans, Hubbard encourages them to express their gratitude.
‘It’s never too late to thank them, that’s for sure,? he said.
Hubbard believes schools need to do more to educate students about the sacrifices America’s veterans, both men and women, have made for the freedom and security of this nation and its people.
‘It seems like in the history books, we’re nothing but just a paragraph on a page,? he said. ‘When you open the new history books, they explain like three wars on two pages. To reduce all the heartache and hardship to a paragraph isn’t right. All those lives lost.?
Overall, Hubbard is quite proud of all the hard work Post 334 does for veterans and for the Oxford-Orion area.
‘We’re doing things. We’re not sitting on the front porch, thinking about the past and reminiscing. We’re looking forward.?