Decorah High School freshman's work to publicize the story of the USS Kirk is honored

Michael Foster with Retired Commander Paul Jacobs from the USS Kirk

Not much was known about the story of the USS Kirk and the role it played at the end of the Vietnamese War--until Decorah student Michael Foster got involved.

Captain Paul Jacobs, the retired Commander of the USS Kirk, sp0ke Friday morning at Decorah High School about how the USS Kirk helped save over 33,000 South Vietnamese refugees after the fall of Saigon.  The soldiers who served on the Kirk in the spring of 1975 were "not much older than the students who attend this high school," he noted.

But mostly Jacobs talked about the job one of those Decorah High School students--Michael Foster--did in publicizing the story of the USS Kirk. 

"You continue to inspire me," Jacobs told Foster at Friday morning's Veteran's Day Observance at Decorah High School.  The publicity about the job the USS Kirk did "was a tribute to your dedication," Jacobs said.

Foster has been named an honorary crew member of the USS Kirk, has won a Youth Leader Award from the Vietnamese and won an award for his history project about the Kirk.