TROY — Army veteran John Looker, recipient of two Purple Hearts and graduate of Sidney High School, will be the speaker at a January meeting f the Miami Valley Veterans Museum (MVVM).

Looker will speak at the MVVM, located at 2245 S. County Road 25 A in Troy, at 9 a.m. on Jan. 4, 2023.

“Looker’s story is a tale of his redemption decades after March 9, 1969, at the Battle of Angel’s Wing in the Vietnam War,” said a MVVM press release. “On that horrific day, he and members of B Company, 2nd Battalion, 5th Cavalry were engaged in a firefight with the North Vietnamese Army and Viet Cong near the Cambodian border. Eleven of the men in Looker’s battalion were killed that day, and Looker suffered a serious shoulder-and-arm injury that required extensive surgery and rehabilitation.”

After 124 days, Looker emerged a broken man suffering from PTSD and began to engage in destructive behaviors.

Decades afterwards, he sought help through accessing psychiatric services at the VA and has since learned to manage his illness by devoting his life to helping other veterans and continuing therapy.

Veterans and friends of veterans are invited to attend the session. A light breakfast will be provided beginning at 8:45 a.m. Questions? Contact [email protected].