Paul E. Vallely and his family are among the millions of Americans who have made great sacrifices in the service of their country.
And the retired U.S. Army major general has many heartfelt reflections on Veterans Day.
Vallely served with honor in the Vietnam War as an infantry company commander, intelligence officer, operations officer, and military adviser.
He then became deputy commanding general, Pacific Command, before retiring in in 1993.
Vallely's son, Scott Paul Vallely, served as a private first class in the U.S. Army.
Tragically, in April 2004, Scott died in a non-hostile accident during Special Forces training at Fort Bragg, N.C.
"I reflect back to 2004 when my son volunteered to go into the Army, into the infantry and on into Special Forces," Vallely said Tuesday on "The Steve Malzberg Show" on
Newsmax TV.
"He was with Fox News after he went to Colorado State on a football scholarship and what's interesting are the similarities to Pat Tillman."
Tillman was the Arizona Cardinals star who quit football to enlist in the Army in June 2002, in the aftermath of the 9/11 terror attacks. He was killed in a friendly fire incident in the mountains of Afghanistan.
"Pat Tillman played for Arizona State, Scott played for Colorado State. They played each other back in the '90s and they had the same drill sergeant at Fort Benning … They died within months of each other," Vallely said.
"So it's a special day for my wife and I to celebrate not only all the veterans, but also our son, [who] to us was a real patriot and hero and he died at 28 years old.
"He was a little older when he went into the United States Army, but we're proud that he did volunteer."
Vallely and his wife, Muffin, have created the Scott Vallely Soldiers Memorial Fund to memorialize their son and carry on his name with contributions and donations to soldiers and their families.
Vallely is also founder of Stand Up America, a conservative think tank that promotes the U.S. Constitution, a strong national defense, national sovereignty, and fiscally responsible, limited government.
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