November 11, 2022

52 years later, Phoenix Vietnam veteran receives the honorable discharge he deserved

Sylvestre Primous, a Phoenix-area Vietnam War veteran decorated with a Purple Heart, was wrongfully dishonorably discharged from the army because of racism.

After a 52-year fight with the Department of Veterans Affairs and the help of Arizona members of Congress, Primous, an Army vet, is getting the discharge status he deserved.

Rep. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., on Thursday gave Primous a honorable discharge certificate. Gallego, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran who served in the Iraq War, presented the certificate on the Marines' 247th birthday, a day before Veterans Day.

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"This day ... this is a big joy in my heart. Because we did fight the beast," Primous said. "Ruben Gallego had a team that worked with me to start this fight and now we can say we won. I got my discharge saying I honorable served."

With the help of two veterans-affairs outreach staffers, Gallego's office worked for three years to get Primous his honorable discharge.

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Source:

Tara Kavaler, Arizona Republic