It's fitting that Dennis Scott learned he had received a Bronze Star in the course of helping other local veterans check for their own service commendations.

After all, it was the same sort of unquestioned response Feb. 9, 1968, that helped save the lives of his fellow soldiers in Vietnam and earned him the prestigious medal of valor.

The fact that it took 33 years for the medal to arrive is of little consequence to the low-key and truly humble veteran.

"I was just trying to help some other local vets get their discharge papers updated and thought I'd apply for corrections on my own at the same time," Scott says of the process that began this past June and resulted in his receipt of a 'surprise' package that included the Bronze Star.

"Through contacts with other veterans over the years, I had learned about a number of things my unit had received that weren't part of my discharge papers - a Presidential Unit Citation, Good Conduct Medal, and Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry," Scott says of the treasures the package contained - along with the unexpected Bronze Star.

"Obviously, I was very surprised - and very, very happy."

While the veteran was content to keep the story about the decorations to himself, other members of VFW Post 4113 believed Scott deserved the formal recognition that goes with the award.

"I should have never told Dale (Brown) about it," Scott says with a laugh.

The formal ceremony this past week at the Posthome included remarks by State Sen. Valde Garcia and State Rep. Scott Hummel, along with the presentation of resolutions by the Michigan Legislature and Gov. Engler.

The combat action that led to Scott's receipt of the Bronze Star and other citations was the result of a "routine" assignment that his unit undertook on a frequent basis. Scott was part of Armored Scout Division of the 2nd Squadron, First Cavalry Regiment during his tour 'in country' from August 1967 to July 1968.

Stationed near Pleiku in the Central Highlands, Scott's division ran convoys during the day from the camp to the Mang Yang pass, Kon Tum and Dac To. After dark, units within the division had the assignment of patrolling roads and guarding key bridges which the North Vietnamese Army targeted for "removal."

It was during a patrol like that 33 years ago that Scott and his unit of two armed personnel carriers and a tank located a contingent of NVA attempting to sneak in and blow a bridge.

"We discovered them before they were ready - and kicked their butt," Scott says. "They didn’t get the bridge - and they didn’t get any of our people either."

When the troop commander came out in the morning to survey the mission, Scott recalls him mentioning a "pending valor award" for the entire squad. At the time, the soldier had other things to occupy his mind and time with beside thinking about what sort of "valor award" that might be.

There was no mention of the award in Scott's discharge papers, but again, given the circumstances and being anxious to return home, he didn't question it at the time.

As it turned out, the valor award was the Bronze Star which had been added to Scott's paperwork at a later date.

"It was there all along - I just didn’t know about it until I made the request to have my discharge papers updated when I was helping the other guys do theirs," Scott says.

Like many veterans from the era, it remains difficult for Scott to talk with "civilians" about the war - but it’s never far from his mind.

"I think about it every day - some pretty serious things happened there," he says, his usually smiling eyes dimmed by those memories.

He recalls what happened the week following his unit's mission that saved the bridge and resulted in NVA casualties.

"Another unit from our division was set up at that same bridge - it got targeted for a mortar attack and two of our guys were killed," Scott says of the "payback."

While the horror of war remains seared in his mind, the sense of comradery and fellowship created among the men and women who served is a bright spot for Scott and all other Vietnam vets.

"In a way, I was fortunate because our whole unit trained together and shipped out together - that was pretty unusual at the time," Scott says of the Armored Scout Infantry unit he was part of that advanced from basic training at Ft. Knox through jungle warfare training at Ft. Polk before shipping out from Ft. Hood.

"Training with the same guys for six or seven months, you knew how everyone would react - or not - when you were in a combat situation," Scott says.

He keeps track of many of his comrades through a reunion association he helped organize in 1985 that is open to the entire division. The group meets bi-annually at various locations around the country, and keeps tabs on current happenings on veteran issues through a newsletter that Scott produces in both print and on-line versions, www.2-1cavalry.com

Making sure veterans update their discharge papers is a key part of that information.

"It's important that discharge papers are accurate and reflect the time of service," Scott says, using his own recent experience as an example of additions and corrections that are often made to the documents after the initial discharge.