Updated at: 11/11/2009 9:25 AM | KSAX.com
By: Matt Standal
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Obama Honors Glenwood Vietnam Vet After 40 Years

After almost 40 years, Army Seargent Denny Schreck was recognized by President Obama for his service in Vietnam.

On October 20, Schreck and 85 of his fellow soldiers were honored in Washington D.C., and awarded the pretigious Presidential Unit Award.  

In the spring of 1970, Schreck's 11th Cavalry Alpha Troop rescued a battalion of American soldiers pinned down by the North Vietnamese.  However, Schreck, who drove an armored personnel carrier, was ordered to stay behind.

"I stayed back because i was told to stay back," Shreck said.  "If I could have gone, I would have."

Because his armored personnel carrier was broken down, Denny was forced to sit and listen to the rescue mission over the radio. He spent the time hoping the gunfire and screams he heard weren’t those of his military friends.

"It was pretty intense, hoping that they’d come back -- and all of them didn’t come back -- and that was a scary day," Schreck said.

And those experiences have followed him ever since.

"It comes back quickly, it pops in your head. If you think about it and talk about it, then you think about it at night," Schreck said.

Especially because Vietnam vets didn’t get many thank-you's when they returned home.

Addressing the soldiers gathered at the October 20 ceremony, President Obama confirmed that unfortunate reality.

"Our vietnam vets answered their countries call and served wih honor," Obama said.  "And one of the saddest episodes in American history was that these vets were often shunned and neglected, even demonized when they came home."

Schreck agrees.

Recalling his homecoming experience, he said "They didn’t recognize you. They just looked at you like it was another day and just kept going on."

However, almost 40 years later, Schreck says he welcomes the Presidential Unit Citation as a symbol standing for the fact that Vietnam Vets are no longer being forgotten by their country

"I think there’s more recognition now than 10, 20, 30 years ago," Schreck said. "So, it’s getting better."