1st. Lt. Barbara Sofia Ripa accepts the Alumni Service Award and briefly shared her views on service.

Originally from Argentina, Barbara Sofia Ripa immigrated to the United States in 2009. Fluent in four languages and with a mature world view, she struggled to find her place in the local high school environment, until meeting Barbara Hatch and joining the Veterans Heritage Project Chapter at Cactus Shadows High School. During three years of high school and one year of college, Sofia interviewed six veterans. Sofia earned a Bachelor of Science in Political Science from Arizona State University, and will complete her Master of Science: Intelligence Analysis from Johns Hopkins University in 2023.

Inspired by her veterans who helped her to "understand what it means to be an American," Sofia became a naturalized citizenship in 2016, and commissioned into the Marine Corp in 2017, where she currently serves as a Logistics Officer for Combat Logistics Regiment 27, Marine Logistics Group at Camp Lejenue in North Carolina. Sofia attributes the skills of listening and asking the right questions to her experiences with VHP. These skills prepared Sofia to help care for fellow Marines who were involved in the pull out in Afghanistan in August 2021.

After accepting the Storyteller Award, Frank and Mike share their combined story of the day that was almost Frank's last, including 8 1/2 minutes of special footage from documentary which shares their experience, The MIAs on Tiger Mountain. During their tours in Vietnam, Frank served as Company Commander of Company D, 5th Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division. Mike served as his Executive Officer. On April 25, 1968, the day after his 21st birthday, Mike volunteered to lead a night mission in the A Shau Valley, which resulted in saving the life of Frank and a great number of men who were wounded and surrounded by the enemy. The rescue operation lasted approximately 7 1/2 hours. Sprayberry personally killed 12 enemy soldiers, eliminated two machine guns, and destroyed numerous enemy bunkers. This act of valor resulted in Mike Sprayberry receiving our nation’s highest military decoration, the Medal of Honor, on October 9, 1969.

Franks Lambert is a West Point graduate, and during his nine years in the Army, earned the Silver Star, three Bronze Stars with Valor, an Air Medal, two Purple Hearts, the Combat Infantryman’s Badge and the Soldier’s Medal. In addition to the documentary The MIAs on Tiger Mountain, Frank's service story is shared in the books Gray Horse Troop: Forever Solders, and Fire in the Streets: The Battle for Hue, and in the 7th Volume of Since You Asked.