Oklahoma City, OK – SGT Ronny Sweger (ret) was honored along with nine other Veterans for induction into the Oklahoma Military Hall of Fame on Saturday, November 8th, 2014. In addition to his induction into the Oklahoma Military Hall of Fame, SGT Sweger also received the Major General Douglas O. Dollar Distinguished Service Award. A total of nine Oklahoma service members were inducted in the class of 2014, two of whom received Congressional Medals of Honor.
SGT Sweger was inducted into the Oklahoma Military Hall of Fame on the basis of his military service record. SGT Sweger served multiple deployments in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Africa with the U.S. Army Special Forces, often known as the “Green Berets.” He spent most of his military career on Special Forces A-Teams. He served over 14 years before he was honorably discharged in 2009 due to combat related injuries.
The Major General Douglas O. Dollar Distinguished Service Award for service to veterans and support of community activities. The award is based on service in addition to valor. Dollar, a member of the Oklahoma Military Hall of Fame, is a Vietnam veteran who served in the U.S. Army Reserve after Vietnam service.
Most candidates were introduced by family members with two notable exceptions. Brigadier General James R. Risner’s introduction was accompanied by a moving tale of life long friendship by Ross Perot. SGT Sweger was introduced by none other that Major General Douglas O. Dollar himself.
Stepping out of tradition, Major General Dollar felt moved to speak briefly about the reason he had chosen to nominate Sweger for the prestigious award. Major General Dollar has not stopped helping Veterans after his retirement and he believes that stopping the staggering numbers of Veteran suicides, 22 per day, needs to be a priority of the Veteran Support Community.
It is for his work co-founding The Foundation for Exceptional Warriors – The FEW and their innovative approach to combating this issue that Major General Dollar nominated SGT Sweger. The FEW’s mission gives members of the Special Operations Community, the Valorous, and the Combat Wounded primary consideration for outdoor recreation allows The FEW to focus their efforts on warriors that have served at the “tip of the spear” on battlefields around the world. They integrate these warriors with other Veterans of all eras and branches of service supported by patriotic civilians creating bonds that transcend the events themselves. Often times after participating in an event for The FEW the warriors become associates and run future operations.
The FEW put over forty warriors into the field in October, 2014 alone. This number represents six events in five states and boasts warriors from Vietnam, Desert Storm, Afghanistan, Iraq, and included four branches of service. In addition, two spouses were selected to attend. Cultivating healthy relationships at home with joint interests are a priority for The FEW. All events are at no cost to the participating warriors or their families.
In an effort to expand operations and help more warriors, The FEW has just started its 2 Cents Campaign. They are challenging American Patriots to donate 2 cents per statistical suicide on a subscription basis. This equates to a recurring donation of $13.20 per month. The FEW’s goal is to generate one thousand of these 2 Cent donors by Veterans Day 2015. This will allow them to budget for future events allowing for more participation. If The FEW reaches its goal they will be able to run an average of one event per week for Veterans.
To find out more about The FEW and their mission, visit their website www.exceptionalwarriors.org. Please click on the red Call to Action arrow to join the 2 Cents campaign.
Photo: SGT Sweger presents Major General Douglas O. Dollar with a The Foundation for Exceptional Warriors – The FEW Challenge Coin.