Friday, February 3, 2012 —
An Albemarle man recently completed a project in honor of his late friend and fellow Vietnam veteran.
Ronnie Nicholson’s project, a restored 1946 Chevrolet truck, has since been entered into local parades.
Nicholson’s truck is painted with a star and the words “U.S. Army.” The POW flag, the Christian flag and the United States flag fly from the truck, and a sign on the back of the truck announces “In Memory of All Those Exposed to Agent Orange.”
The truck is also painted with the words — A Tribute to David E. “Butch” Weddle.
Weddle, who passed away August 2010, was one of Nicholson’s closest friends during their time serving in Vietnam, Nicholson said.
“My best friend over there got messed up with Agent Orange,” he said.
According to Nicholson, Weddle suffered a number of health problems due to his exposure to the chemical, including severe diabetes that caused him to go through numerous surgeries. The two men kept in touch over the years, even though Weddle lived in Ohio and Nicholson in North Carolina.
Nicholson was able to travel to Ohio to visit Weddle not long before his friend’s passing.
“His family called me and asked me would I come up there and cheer him up before an operation,” he said.“He told me when I went up there he was going to will me this truck.”
Nicholson said at first he was hesitant about accepting the truck from his friend, but then decided to use it to honor Weddle’s wishes.
“I told my family I was going to take the truck and make it a tribute truck to him and other guys hurt by Agent Orange,” Nicholson said.
“I just got the truck finished right before Thanksgiving.”
Since then, Nicholson has driven the truck in Stanly County’s Veteran’s Day parade, Mount Pleasant’s Christmas parade and Palestine’s Christmas parade.
“It was really accepted. People really love it,” Nicholson said.
And while he is glad people enjoy his work, he hopes others and not himself will be the center of attention when it comes to the truck, Nicholson said.
“A lot of guys out there that are sick are veterans. A lot of them don’t even realize that there are a variety of health problems associated with Agent Orange,” he said, adding that he also has some health issues that come from exposure to the chemical.
“Their war is still going on. I’m just trying to make people more aware of that today.”
Nicholson said he hopes his truck will help raise awareness about these health problems and also let veterans know they have options.
“These guys can get help from V.A. Hospitals,” he said.
Nicholson said he plans to drive the truck in future parades, both to honor his friend and other veterans and to draw awareness to the issues veterans face.
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Ronnie Nicholson displays the truck he restored in honor of his late friend.
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