When retired Navy Master Chief Larry Van Schuyver and his fellow members of the Oklahoma Military Order of the Purple Heart were brainstorming names for their new Legacy Award, Exchange Director/CEO Tom Shull immediately came to mind.
“Mr. Shull has worked tirelessly in support of Veterans and Veteran programs,” Van Schuyver said. “From initiatives on hiring wounded and disabled Veterans to changing policy to ensure that all honorably discharged Veterans can still shop their Exchange online, Mr. Shull’s dedication and loyalty to Veterans knows no bounds. We are proud to name the Legacy Award, which is awarded to those that go above and beyond to honor Veterans, in his honor.”
Shull, who was previously recognized by the Oklahoma Military Order of the Purple Heart as its Veteran Supporter of the Year in 2020 and for its Hall of Honor award in 2023 for his dedication to wounded Veterans and their families, received the inaugural Tom Shull Legacy Award in a ceremony at Tinker Air Force Base BX on April 14.
“It’s deeply humbling to receive this, the Tom Shull Legacy award,” Shull said. “This recognition is not about one individual. It represents the sacrifice made by the real-life superheroes who answered our Nation’s call and paid a price that can never be fully repaid. It also honors the families who bore that burden alongside them, a legacy of honor and care for those who carried the cost of freedom we are blessed to enjoy.”
Under Shull’s leadership, on Veterans Day 2017, after four years of coordination with the Department of War, Army and Air Force as well as several other federal agencies, military exchanges welcomed home more than 18 million eligible Veterans with a lifetime, online, tax-free shopping privilege.
Shull has also been instrumental in the Exchange becoming a leading employer of Veterans, military spouses and family members. More than 67,000 Veterans and military spouses have been hired by the Exchange since 2013. Additionally, the Exchange has been named a Military Times Best for Vets employer 12 consecutive times and one of U.S. Veterans Magazine’s Best of the Best Top Government and Law Enforcement Agencies for 12 years running.
Leave a Reply