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• That is why the chapter nominated Reconnu for the VVA Member of the Year award. He won, too, taking the title as tops of the 70,000 members in 650 chapters across the United States. The announcement was made in August at the national convention in Jacksonville, Fla.
• "I feel it was no contest," Jerpseth tells the Argus Leader (http://argusne.ws/1cAoqZ7 ). "I'm sure he blew everybody else out of the water, he was involved with so many things in our chapter."
• Reconnu himself modestly doesn't take it that far. In a thank you letter in the last chapter newsletter, he acknowledged what he calls "the many success stories" among members.
• "One member could never be responsible for the many accomplishments our chapter has made," he wrote. "Getting to know all of you has changed my life more than you'll know."
• Reconnu was raised in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Chicago, among other places, and served in the U.S. Army from 1965 to 1967. He spent September 1966 to September 1967 in Vietnam, stationed mostly in Cam Ranh Bay and Phan Thiet.
• "We had amphibious vehicles which were called LARC-Vs, and we supported the troops," Reconnu says. "In Phan Thiet, we'd offload ships and bring in supplies for the troops. We'd do the same thing in Cam Rahn. Sometimes we'd offload troops, too, not just cargo. We'd bring them ashore."
• When he returned to the United States, like many Vietnam veterans, Reconnu said little about his experiences. He moved to Watertown about 27 years ago, owning and managing the Sears store there. He retired about 12 years ago.
• By then, Reconnu's health had begun to suffer. He wears an insulin pump to counteract the effects of the diabetes caused by Agent Orange and has needed stents because of heart disease.
• At chapter meetings, Reconnu and Jerpseth both began sharing their experiences for the first time in years.
• "I've talked about it more in the last two and a half years than I ever had before, mainly because of this group," Reconnu says. "It's done a lot for me personally."
• Reconnu's background in business has helped promote Chapter 1054, Jerpseth says. In 2010, he proposed buying six-inch American flags and handing them out at two Watertown stores on Flag Day, seeking donations to raise funds.
• "I wasn't convinced when we first started," Jerpseth says. "But we ordered 1,500 or 1,000 flags, and we were out of flags by 12 o'clock. I didn't want to give them to kids; I figured that wasn't going to pay off. I was wrong again: You give it to kids, they wave it all around the store, and that is free advertising."

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