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U.S. Capitol flag flies in honor of Centerville Vietnam veteran who surprised family with Christmas Eve homecoming 50 years ago

WASHINGTON, D.C. — 50 years ago on Christmas Eve, Jay McAlpine’s parents had grown worried. They had not been able to reach him, during his tour with the Army in Vietnam, flying cobra helicopters with the 101st airborne.

Little did they know, McAlpine was on his way home.

Given an opportunity to return to the United States, two years into his second tour, McAlpine said he tried to alert his family he was coming, but, as he pointed out, “This was 1970, and the communications were not the same.”

Imagine his parents’ surprise when they returned home from shopping to find McAlpine in their Michigan home – a Christmas Eve surprise homecoming.

“My dad gave me a hug. And he had never given me a hug as an adult before” McAlpine said in a Christmas Eve 2020 interview with News Center 7′s Sean Cudahy. “It was a very wonderful homecoming.”

Half a century later, McAlpine’s family helped orchestrate a series of tributes to honor his service.

The flag atop the U.S. Capitol in Washington flew in honor of McAlpine’s honor Thursday. President Donald Trump also sent McAlpine a letter in recognition of his service – a service record that includes numerous awards – including the Distinguished Flying Cross, Bronze Star, and Service Medal with Valor.

“I extend my gratitude to you for your service in the United States Army,” President Trump wrote. “In defense of liberty, you and your fellow warriors fought gallantly against the spread of communism and defended the freedom of the Vietnamese people.”

“The recognition is wonderful,” McAlpine said. “The fact that the family was so diligent in putting this all together, and how close we all are, means the world to me.”

The city of Centerville also plans to honor McAlpine’s service with an inscribed brick in Stubbs Park.

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