Day joins other American heroes on trading cards

Every day is Veterans Day for Col. Bud Day

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By Michele Linck - mlinck@siouxcityjournal.com | Posted: Tuesday, November 10, 2009 10:15 pm | Loading…

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Col. Bud Day trading card. (hand-out photo)

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The company he keeps

A few others among the several hundred who appear on the collectible cards:

-- Molly Pitcher

-- Thomas Jefferson

-- Medgar Evans

-- Barack Obama

-- Samuel Gompers

-- Mickey Mantel

-- Larry Bird/Magic Johnson

Veterans Day observances

Area events today include:

8:45 a.m., Gehlen Catholic School gym, Le Mars, Iowa. Prayer service. Speaker is Gary Tillman, whose son Scott, a 2003 Gehlan graduate, is a specialist for the U.S. Army's Striker Brigade in Afghanistan. History of taps by Cmdr. Larry Baer, American Legion -- Wasmer Post, 21-gun salute. Unveiling of school's Wall of Honor with photos of Gehlen past and present armed-services members.

11 a.m., Woodbury County Courthouse, Sioux City. Sioux City Vet Cente…

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Discounts and Deals Honoring Veterans

On Wednesday, November 11, many businesses in Siouxland are honoring our veterans by offering special discounts and deals that day. Here's a list of special offers veterans and active military members can take advantage of Wednesday:

• Free entry to national parks, forests and monuments

• Free breakfast at Hy-Vee Stores from 7-11 a.m.

• 10 percent discount at Lowe's

• 10 percent discount at Home Depot

• Free meal at Applebee's from select entree listFull Story

Sioux City native son Col. George "Bud" Day has joined the company of George Washington, Sojourner Truth, Jackie Robinson and several hundred other American luminaries in Topps' new American Heritage Heroes Edition of collectible trading cards.

Day, 84, is a highly decorated veteran of World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War -- during which he survived 5 1/2 years in a Viet Cong prison, later receiving the Medal of Honor. Speaking from his law office in Fort Walton Beach, Fla., on Friday, Day said he was approached by Topps last summer and has a commercial agreement with the company to use his likeness and information. His cards were first available in August.

Four different Day cards are in the series and are referred to among traders as flight suit, autograph, chrome and Medal of Honor.

The card sets are peopled by other well-known military, political, civil rights and sports heroes of all generations, starting in the 1700s and including other notable contemporary heroes, such as Day's good friend and former prisoner-of-war cellmate, U.S. Sen John McCain.

"I'm really proud of that, frankly," Day said of the company he keeps in the card series. "They have some wonderful founders of the country and great patriots."

Day said although Topps sent some cards to him, he is most familiar with them because they are among the three to 10 pictures of himself he gets each week in the mail from people asking him to autograph and return them, a request he obliges.

And although Sioux Cityan Chris McGowan hasn't sent any cards to Day to sign, he discovered them and bought a bunch on e-Bay. "This is really a cool thing," he said. "Presidents, civil rights leaders, military heroes -- that is really heady company."

"Some day, when I grow up," said McGowan, executive director of The Siouxland Initiative, "I'm going to make sure Bud has a nice corner in the Sioux City (Public) Museum."