Adj. Gen. Michael R. Berry to keynote Vietnam Veterans Day in Dover March 30
Brig. Gen. Michael R. Berry, Delaware National Guard adjutant general, will serve as keynote speaker for the Kent County Chapter 850 VVA Annual Vietnam Veterans Day at 2 p.m., Saturday, March 30, at Kent County Veterans Memorial Park, S. Little Creek Road, Dover.
Berry assumed his duties as Delaware adjutant general March 2. He is responsible for the mission readiness of all Delaware National Guard units, including more than 1,500 soldiers and 1,100 airmen for both federal and state missions.
Berry’s military career began in September 1988 when he enlisted in the Delaware Army National Guard under the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps Simultaneous Membership Program. Berry received his commission through the ROTC at the University of Delaware in May 1989.
Berry earned a bachelor of arts degree in criminal justice from University of Delaware in 1989. He is a 1990 Delaware State Police graduate, obtaining his law enforcement certification. He also is a 2008 graduate of the United States Army War College, receiving his master’s degree in strategic studies.
“We are honored to call this man friend,” said Joe Startt Jr., chapter president. “He represents the men and women who protect us from harm not only in Delaware but as part of the most effective military the world has ever known.”
State VVA Council President Paul Davis said,“We look forward to welcoming Gen. Berry back downstate in his new role.”
The Kent County Veterans Memorial Park honors those lost in Vietnam, Korea, and the Middle East, and Gold Star Mothers and Families. The park also contains a POW/MIA Chair of Honor, a War Dog memorial and a Vietnam-era UH-1 Huey medivac helicopter.
All three annual events hosted by Chapter 850 – Vietnam Veterans Day, Memorial Day, and Veterans Day – are open to the public, and children are encouraged to attend with adults. Each event begins with a JROTC color guard and a child from the audience leading the Pledge of Allegiance.
