Hardy W. Bryan and Eddie Pringle will receive the city’s annual Honored Veteran Award at Albert Whitted Airport.
Two Vietnam War veterans will receive St. Petersburg’s annual Honored Veteran Award during the city’s Veterans Day ceremony on Wednesday.
Mayor Ken Welch will present the awards to retired Army Lt. Col. Hardy W. Bryan and Marine Corps veteran Eddie Pringle at the 13th annual event, which begins at 9 a.m. in Albert Whitted Airport’s Terminal Hangar, 107 Eighth Ave. SE.
The ceremony is open to the public and will be held at the airport this year as part of the city’s observance of the nation’s 250th anniversary. Parking will be available along First Street SE between Fourth Avenue S and Eighth Avenue S.
Named for Navy aviator James Albert Whitted, the airport served as a training base for naval cadets during World War II.
Bryan, a St. Petersburg native, attended local schools before joining the Army through Florida State University’s Reserve Officers’ Training Corps program. His military career included 10 years overseas, with assignments in Germany, Italy and Vietnam.
He retired in September 1983 and later wrote about his experiences in Vietnam. He has also remained active in St. Petersburg, supporting survivors of traumatic brain injuries.
Pringle graduated from Gibbs High School in 1965 before enlisting in the Marine Corps. He served in Vietnam from 1967 to 1968, along with assignments in South Carolina, North Carolina and Japan. His decorations include the Vietnam Service Medal, Vietnam Campaign Medal, Presidential Unit Citation and Combat Action Ribbon.
Pringle later served as commander of Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 6827. He has also been a member of the Masonic fraternity for more than 50 years.