Rick served with the 101st Airborne Division (1/502nd) in I Corps, South Vietnam in 1969-70. He was with a Recon unit and came home as a decorated veteran. While doing a sweep through the Phu Luong area, he noticed a pretty run-down orphanage (Ky-Nhi-Tu-Mau) filled with youngsters orphaned by the war. He wrote to his former employer back in the States and asked if someone would attempt to gather some kid’s clothing and send them to him in Vietnam. A couple of months later, his commanding officer sent a Huey out to get Rick and bring him back to the rear area so that he could take the 30+ packages of clothing that had been collected and sent to Vietnam with the assistance of the Air Force. The smiles on the kids’ faces pretty much said it all, and the event became known as Project Smile. When Rick returned to the States, the Junior Chamber of Commerce awarded him in their 1972 edition of Outstanding Young Men of America. In the midst of an ugly war, Rick found time to bring a few smiles to some who had lost their parents.
| In 1971, he was on local TV in Columbia, SC, being interviewed about Project Mile, and was included in the 1973 Edition of Outstanding Young Men of America published by the Junior Chamber of Commerce.
Rick is a member of the Honor Guard at VFW Post 2391 in St. Augustine. On September 19, 2023, he will lead five other Vietnam veterans on a 500 mile, 44-day healing pilgrimage across Northern Spain on the Camino se Santiago. This project is called The Last Patrol: A Pilgrimage of Brotherhood and will become an annual event for PTSD veterans. Background on this project is available on Face Book under The Last Patrol: A Pilgrimage of Brotherhood.
Well Done, Rick McAllister. Nominated by Linda Ann Simpson |
