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Joe Vice

Vice named Veteran of the Year for 68th Annual Cattle Festival

Joe Vice has been selected by the Louisiana Cattle Festival as the 2016 Veteran of the Year.
Mr. Vice will be honored at the annual banquet to be held at Magdalen Place on Thursday, October 13, 2016. He will also be in the Grand Parade October 15, 2016. Tickets for the banquet are $15 and can be purchased at the Cattle Festival office at the Red Barn, 2901 Rodeo Rd. or by calling (337) 652-0646.
Joe Vice was born in Nunez, Louisiana and raised by his grandparents. He later moved to Abbeville where he attended Abbeville High School. He later moved to Lake Charles and attended LaGrange High School. At age 17, Mr. Vice joined the Army and served combat tours in Korea and Vietnam. He became a paratrooper and served with the 101st Airborne Division Troop B, 17th Cavalry. He had the honor of being the platoon Sgt. of the Division Honor Guard and Drill Team. In 1961, Mr. Vice completed Special Forces training where he became a Green Beret. He was then assigned to the 10th Special Forces Group in Bad Tolz, Germany. He was later assigned to the 5th Special Forces Group with Project Delta (Det. B 52) which is now called the elite Delta Force. Mr. Vice used his Cajun French in different countries, especially in Vietnam, where he helped interpret orders between Us. Commanders and Vietnamese personnel.
After retiring from the military, Mr. Vice worked offshore for two years before working for the Vermilion
Parish Sheriff’s Dept. with Sheriff Ray LeMaire for 26 years. Finally, Mr. Vice started playing Cajun music with Minos Hardy and the Fa Tra Cajun Band. He now plays only in jam sessions, nursing homes, and also private parties, preserving his love for Cajun and Classic Country music. “It is truly a privilege and honor to recognize a good friend and Army veteran Joe Vice as 2016 Cattle Festival Veteran of the Year, a man who served our country well and a man who continues to preserve our Cajun culture and music”, stated Francis Plaisance, President.

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