Quiet Vietnam POW ‘not a hero’ (Michael Lenker)

After an almost imperceptible hesitation, Mike Lenker stood.

About 500 people politely applauded when Lenker, 60, was introduced as a prisoner of the Vietnam War. It was a fleeting formality between the Harlem High School Choraleers’ “Song for the Unsung Hero” and the keynote speech, part of the hourlong Tribute to Veterans held Friday morning at Loves Park City Hall.

It was only a moment. Lenker hated it.

“I don’t consider myself a hero,” Lenker said later. “A lot of people wrote books and are going around speaking and that. If I’m asked questions, I’ll answer them. But I don’t go out and blow my horn.”

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