This Veterans Day, John, we are honoring exonerees who served their country only to be failed by the same country they fought to protect: Innocent people who suffered the injustice of a wrongful conviction. 

To pay tribute to the Innocence Project clients who have served our country, we put together a special thank-you card. We’re working to fill this card with 5,000 signatures, including yours, before midnight tonight. 

Please John, will you sign our card to show gratitude to the wrongfully incarcerated veterans we’ve represented? It only takes a moment, and we know it will mean the world to them.

John, of the hundreds of innocent veterans who have been failed by the legal system, we’re sharing the story of one Innocence Project client in particular, Leonard Mack. 

Leonard Mack, a Vietnam veteran, was exonerated after 47 years in September 2024. Image: Elijah Craig III/ Innocence Project.

Leonard enlisted in the military in 1968, a decision driven by a desire to escape the oppressive racial discrimination he had faced growing up and to continue his family’s legacy of military service. He received an honorable discharge in 1970, and this allowed him to receive benefits for the back injury he sustained while fighting in the Vietnam War. 

Just five years later, Leonard was arrested and wrongfully convicted after police told him he matched the description of a rape suspect, although his clothing didn’t match those the survivors told police their assailant was wearing. His wrongful conviction lasted 47 years. His mother, sister, and daughter never lived to see him exonerated, and the U.S. Army reduced his disability benefits as a result of his incarceration.

“I’m an honorably discharged Vietnam veteran. I did what you asked me to do as a citizen, and this is the thanks that you give me?” 

On this Veteran’s Day, we celebrate not just Leonard but all veterans who have served their nation with honor and sacrifice — and especially those who were failed by the systems they fought to protect. John, will you sign our card today to thank the Innocence Project clients who have served our country?

Thank you,

Innocence Project