William A. Thien

Commander-in-Chief, Veterans of Foreign Wars

William A. “Bill” Thien was elected Commander-in-Chief of the Veterans of Foreign Wars on July 24, 2013, at the VFW’s 114th National Convention, held in Louisville, Ky. <br /> <br /> Mr. Thien served in the U.S. Navy from 1969-1974 and served five years in the Indiana National Guard. His decorations include the Vietnam Service Medal with 3 stars, Vietnam Campaign Medal with 1960 Bar, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (Korea), National <br /> Defense Service Medal and several from the National Guard. <br /> <br /> He joined the VFW in 1971 at Post 3281 in New Albany, Ind., where he maintains his Gold Legacy Life Membership. He has served the VFW in many leadership positions including All American Post Commander, All State District Commander and All American State Commander. He has also held positions on numerous National committees, including Vice Chairman of Citizenship Education and Community Service and as Chairman of National Scholarship and Recognition. <br /> <br /> Mr. Thien attended Indiana University Southeast. He worked as a Team Leader/Shift Supervisor at Duke Energy and is now retired. <br /> <br /> Mr. Thien is a member of the American Legion, DAV, Veterans of Vietnam War Inc., National Rifle Association, Patriot Guard Riders, Military Order of the Cootie Pup Tent 51 and VFW National Home.