Vietnam War veteran to speak

The Lehigh Valley Veterans History Project Roundtable will meet at 7 p.m. Sept. 29 at Lehigh Active Life, 1633 Elm St., Allentown. The speaker will be Joseph Petro, a Vietnam War Navy veteran.

Not many people, including veterans, know much about the U.S. Navy’s River Patrol Forces that only existed during the Vietnam War. Joe was an officer in the U.S. Navy from 1966 to 1970 and he served in the River Patrol Forces and commanded River Patrol Boats in Vietnam. His presentation will include some of the history and operations of the River Patrol Forces. He was awarded a Bronze Star with Combat “V” and the Navy/Marine Corps Combat Action Ribbon. He was later assigned as the senior adviser to a Vietnamese PBR River Division. From 1971-1993, Joe was a special agent and senior executive with the United States Secret Service, where he served in numerous operational and management positions. He supervised the Presidential, Vice Presidential and Dignitary Protective Divisions. In addition to sharing some of the unique history of the Secret Service, he will share four personal stories. Joe, a William Allen High School graduate, is the author of the book “Standing Next to History, An Agent’s Life Inside the Secret Service.”