Dear Friends of the:
Vietnam War In Memory Memorial Plaque Project,
Progress continues towards the In Memory Plaque. To that end, we are happy to
report, this organization has been included by the American Battle Monuments
Commission in a consulting coalition with the Vietnam Women's Memorial Project
(VWMP) and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund (VVMF).
An extensive site study has been conducted by an independent, nationally
acclaimed landscape architectural firm to augment the Congressionally mandated
input from the architects of the VVMF and the VWMP. A proposed design and
inscription have been set forth, subject to several stages of approval. To see
an example of the plaque as proposed to be added to an expanded plaza near the
three servicemen statue, please visit
http://members.aol.com/vietwarmem/plaque.htm to see proposed design and
inscription.
Fundraising continues, and will be more significant than previously expected,
due to the nature of the plans, subject to approval by several levels of federal
approval, which call for installation of the otherwise relatively inexpensive
plaque within the plaza where the Three Servicemen statue is situated, which
will require some expensive changes to the plaza itself. While Jan C. Scruggs of
the VVMF says they will raise funds to cover the costs, we sincerely believe it
is especially important for those of us who wish to have a feeling of personal
participation in the plaque project to make donations of any amount directly to
the American Battle Monuments Commission. We welcome all donors' dedication
statements, which we are happy to add to the In Memory Plaque Project
recognition and dedication web page
(http://members.aol.com/vietwarmem/dedicate.htm)
is a news release issued by the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, on behalf of the
Vietnam Women's Memorial Project and the Vietnam War In Memory Memorial, Inc.:
WORDING, LOCATION AGREEMENT REACHED Spring Dedication* Anticipated For In Memory
Plaque Honoring Those Not Eligible For Recognition On The Wall
(*NOTE: There may be a delay to this dedication time due to some unexpected
National Park Service input -- we'll let you know more when we find out details)
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The design, placement and wording of the Vietnam Veterans
Memorial's newest element have been unanimously agreed on by a special coalition
of veterans memorial organizations, announced Jan C. Scruggs, founder and
president of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund.
The Veterans Coalition, comprising the Memorial Fund, the Vietnam Women's
Memorial Project and the Vietnam War In Memory Memorial Plaque Project, met on
Monday, October 8, 2001, to discuss the addition of the Congressionally mandated
plaque. The group unanimously agreed to a 2-foot x 3-foot gray granite plaque
that would be placed in the Northeast corner of The Three Servicemen Plaza. The
proposed inscription reads: "In memory of the men and women who served in the
Vietnam War and later died as a result of their service. We honor and remember
their sacrifice."
Said Scruggs: "The Veterans Coalition is confident that the American Battle
Monuments Commission, the National Park Service, the Commission of Fine Arts and
the National Capital Planning Commission will agree that this solution, which
has been thoroughly researched, will respectfully pay tribute to the men and
women whose names are not eligible for inscription on The Wall. The plaque is a
magnificent addition to the Memorial and further tells the story of those heroes
and their families who were forever changed by the Vietnam War."
Women's Memorial Founder and President Diane Carlson Evans said:
"The In Memory Plaque will shed light on the aftermath of war and bring the
human tragedy more visibly into the public eye. With the dedication of a plaque
at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, perhaps we will learn that the sacrifice of
the men and women who serve during wartime does not end when the war is over."
Added Ruth Coder Fitzgerald, In Memory Plaque Project founder and president: "We
are pleased with the progress made to date with the In Memory Plaque and look
forward to the day that those veterans who died prematurely because of their
service in the Vietnam War will be honored at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
Barring any unforeseen delays, we hope to dedicate the In Memory Plaque over the
2002 Memorial Day weekend."
Next month, the Veterans Coalition will present its recommended design solution
to American Battle Monuments Commission, chaired by former Commandant of the
Marine Corps General PX Kelley, USMC (Ret.). If the ABMC and the National Park
Service, the government body that maintains the Memorial support the proposal,
it will be presented to the Commission of Fine Arts and the National Capital
Planning Commission.
On June 15, 2000, President Clinton signed Public Law 106-214 authorizing the
ABMC to place within the Vietnam Veterans Memorial a suitable plaque containing
an inscription intended to honor those Vietnam veterans who died after their
service in the Vietnam War, but as a direct result of that service, and whose
names are not otherwise eligible for placement on The Wall.
The Veterans Coalition came to a swift consensus after listening to a formal
presentation by Vietnam Veterans Memorial architect of record James Cummings,
AIA; Vietnam Women's Memorial landscape architect George Dickie, professor of
landscape architecture at Pennsylvania State University; and renowned landscape
architect Henry Arnold of Arnold Associates. Cummings, Dickie and Arnold
have been instrumental in the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and other projects on
the National Mall in Washington, D.C. and have spent the past five months
studying the three acre Memorial site to determine "an element that would not
offend the existing Memorial, and would honorably commemorate those named in the
plaque," said Cummings. Over the past year, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund
has spent more than $100,000 on the project for site studies and architecture
fees.
According to preliminary estimates, the creation and placement of the plaque and
renovations to the Memorial site will cost over $300,000. To date, more than
$60,000 has been raised including a $50,000 donation to the AMBC's Vietnam
Veterans Memorial Plaque Fund by Harley-Davidson Motor Company in May 2001.
Donations may be sent to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, 1023 15th Street,
Second Floor, Washington, D.C. 20005 or the American Battle Monuments
Commission, Courthouse Plaza II, Suite 500, Attn: Vietnam Veterans Memorial
Plaque, 2300 Clarendon Boulevard, Arlington, VA 22201.
Web site: www.abmc.gov.
Four elements currently comprise the Vietnam Veterans Memorial - The Wall
inscribed with the names of the 58,226 men and women who died while serving with
the U.S. Armed Forces in Vietnam, The Three Servicemen Statue, the Vietnam
Women's Memorial and a flagpole. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial remains the most
visited Memorial in the nation's capital with more than 4.4 million visitors
annually.
The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund receives numerous requests each year from
individuals who desire to have particular names placed on The Wall. While
the Memorial Fund finances the name additions to the black granite Memorial, the
Department of Defense conducts thorough research to determine which names can be
added to The Wall. DOD parameters stipulate that only the names of the service
members who died of combat injuries suffered in combat zones may be added to The
Wall.
About the Vietnam War In Memory Memorial Plaque Project The Vietnam War In
Memory Memorial Plaque Project is a nonprofit organization that worked with the
U.S. Congress to enact legislation providing for the installation of a plaque at
the Vietnam Veterans Memorial site. The plaque will acknowledge the service of
and pay tribute to veterans who died prematurely because of their service in the
Vietnam War from causes including exposure to toxic herbicides (i.e., cancers;
diabetes), post traumatic stress disorder (i.e., heart attacks, suicide) and
Hepatitis C among others. Web site:
http://members.aol.com/vietwarmem/plaque.htm.
About the Vietnam Women's Memorial Project The Vietnam Women's Memorial Project
was incorporated in 1984 and is a non-profit organization located in Washington,
D.C. The mission of the Vietnam Women's Memorial Project is to promote the
healing of Vietnam women veterans through the placement of the Vietnam Women's
Memorial on the grounds of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in during the Vietnam
war; to educate the public about their role; and to facilitate research on the
physiological, psychological and sociological issues correlated to their
service. Web site:
www.vietnamwomensmemorial.org.
About the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund Established in 1979, the Vietnam
Veterans Memorial Fund is the nonprofit organization authorized by Congress to
build the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. Today, it has developed
a series of outreach programs dedicated to preserving the legacy of The Wall, to
educating and to promoting healing from the effects of the Vietnam War. Web
site: www.vvmf.org.
For more information, please contact:
Alan Greilsamer, Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund (202) 393-0090
ext. 19
Vietnam Women's Memorial Project (202) 328-7253
Ruth Coder Fitzgerald, Vietnam War In Memory Memorial (540) 371-3253