KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — It has been 20 years since Paul McKlveen, a Vietnam war veteran, saw his Bronze Star Medal. It is one of the highest awards for heroism available to people who served in the military.
He joined the army in February 1967.
"I went on to Vietnam as just regular infantry. I went over there in October '67. And my first tour came home October '68," he said. "I had some really, really good experiences of Vietnam, I had some bad ones. But, I made some really, really good friends and good memories."
On Thursday, he saw his medal. McKlveen said it brought back many memories.
"It reminds me of my days in service. Most of it was positive, it really was," McKlveen said.
McKlveen isn't completely sure what happened to his medal. He believes it may have gotten stolen over 20 years ago. However, that medal turned up at an estate sale, where it was spotted by another Vietnam Veteran, Craig Noe.
"We went to an estate sale somewhere. We used to go to a lot of yard sales. And I picked out this box for about $5," Noe said.
When he got home, he found a metal case at the bottom of the box.
"I thought, these are military cases. And then when I opened it up, there it was. I thought, 'Wow, man, it's a Bronze Star,'" Noe said.
Paul McKlveen's name is engraved on the back of the star. Noe said he attempted to make contact with McKlveen when he first found the medal. However, at the time, he wasn't able to get connected.
So, he put it back in a box. Then, about a week ago Noe was going through his things and saw it again.
The second time around he worked through the Veteran Affairs Office to get the contact information for McKlveen.
"He called me up and said, 'I've got your Bronze Star. It's got your name on the back of it. And I'd like to get back to you,'" McKlveen said. "And I said, 'Well, I'd like to have it.'"
The two strangers met in the Veteran Affairs parking lot, under the shade of the American Flag. The medal was passed from one veteran to another — a symbol of service, missing for decades, finally back in the right hands.
"It's a possession that I treasure, I really treasure," McKlveen said.
Both McKlveen and Noe served in Vietnam at the same time. Their services overlapped in 1967. Yet, the two did not know each other before Thursday.