News from The Vietnam War In Memory Memorial, Inc.
American Battle Monuments Commission
Ready To Receive Donations For Plaque
Honoring Nation's Post-Vietnam Casualties
Contact: Ruth Coder Fitzgerald
The Vietnam War In Memory Memorial, Inc.
808 Charlotte Street
Fredericksburg, Va., 22401
540-371-3253RCoderFitz@aol.com
/inmemory/vietwarmem/plaque.htm
The movement to gain year-round recognition at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial for America's postwar casualties is taking a significant step forward.
A bill passed unanimously by Congress and signed into law June 15 by President Clinton authorizes the American Battle Monuments Commission place a commemorative plaque within the grounds of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, inscribed to honor Vietnam veterans whose premature deaths after the Vietnam War were a direct result of their service, but whose names are not eligible for placement on The Wall.
Work towards the plaque's design, inscription, and subsequent approvals will proceed as soon as the ABMC receives enough private contributions to begin funding its work toward the design, inscription and approvals process, according to Col. Anthony N. Corea, USAF, Director of Operations and Finance for the Commission.Donations towards the plaque are tax deductible charitable contributions. Checks and money orders payable to "ABMC - VVM MEMORIAL PLAQUE" may be mailed to:
The American Battle Monuments Commission
Courthouse Plaza II, Suite 500
Attn: Vietnam Veterans Memorial Plaque
2300 Clarendon Boulevard
Arlington, VA 22201All contributions will be placed in a separate U.S Treasury trust fund and used solely for the establishment of the commemorative plaque. Col. Corea may be contacted with questions related to funding for the plaque project at 703-696-6897 or coreaa@abmc.gov. The ABMC web site is http://www.abmc.gov
Individuals, organizations and corporate donors to the ABMC are invited to notify the In Memory Plaque Project of the fact, not the amount, of their donation and the name of a specific veteran for placement on a dedicated recognition page.
-- Background of the Memorial Plaque Project -- The Vietnam War In Memory Memorial, Inc. was organized to advocate a tangible measure of recognition for veterans whose postwar deaths from service-related causes were not eligible to be acknowledged on The Wall..
Bearing no names, a modest, ground level "In Memory" memorial plaque was conceived, simple in design and inscription, according to Ruth Coder Fitzgerald, president of the nonprofit group. The In Memory memorial plaque project gained strength when a World War II veteran in California wrote about it to his Congressman. Rep. Elton Gallegly was soon joined in a legislative initiative by Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell of Colorado."They deserve to be recognized for their sacrifice," Rep. Gallegly said, introducing H.R. 3293 on the eve of Veterans Day, 1999. "Perhaps more importantly, their families deserve a symbol of healing, something they can touch and remember."
Sen. Campbell, introducing S. 1921, stated, "Even though these veterans may not have been killed in action while they served in the tropical jungles of Vietnam, in the end they, too, made the ultimate sacrifice for their country."
H.R. 3293 had a remarkable104 original cosponsors and eventually attracted 290. It achieved unanimous passage by 421 members of the House of Representatives on May 9 and was approved by unanimous consent by the Senate May 24 with help from Campbell, whose bill had already attracted 51 cosponsors.Veterans to be honored by the plaque include the well-known, such as Pulitzer prize-winning autobiographer Lewis B. Puller Jr., who, grievously wounded in the war and suffering from post-traumatic stress syndrome, died by his own hand in 1994; and Elmo R. Zumwalt III, who succumbed in 1988 to non-Hodgkins lymphoma attributed to exposure to Agent Orange, the widely used chemical defoliant authorized by his father, the late Adm. Elmo R. Zumwalt, Jr., Chief of Naval Operations in the Vietnam war.
However, the names of the vast majority will never be known to most Americans. The loss of one of them, midwesterner John Keath Coder, moved his sister, Ruth Coder Fitzgerald of Fredericksburg, VA, to organize the Vietnam War In Memory Memorial plaque project, incorporated as a nonprofit advocacy group in 1996.
Coder, of Des Moines, Iowa, died in 1992, of non-Hodgkins lymphoma attributed to Agent Orange exposure. The Air Force veteran was stationed in DaNang from April, 1969, to April, 1970, as a helicopter pilot with the 37th Air Rescue and Recovery Squadron, aiding downed fliers.
Working with other veterans' family members and friends, Fitzgerald organized what has become known as the "In Memory" memorial plaque project to obtain year-round acknowledgement for the growing numbers of these veterans. The veterans are now recognized at an annual observance in April, formerly held twice a year on Memorial Day and Veterans Day, in which certificates and mementos are left at The Wall. The ceremonies, originated by the now-discontinued Friends of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial organization, are now conducted by the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, and have no direct connection with the plaque project.
Service-related postwar death statistics are not kept, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs and Vietnam Veterans of America. Estimates range widely for the continuing toll of the country's longest war.
While the In Memory project's supporters do not seek to add the names of postwar casualties, they have always held firmly to their concept of a simple plaque on the Memorial grounds to honor the memory of these Americans. Their concept of an unobtrusive, ground-level plaque is intended to reinforce the Wall's legendary emotional healing power without compromising its architectural integrity.
Admiral Zumwalt declared the In Memory plaque project to be "an important mission." and served as a charter member of the Vietnam War In Memory Memorial, Inc. advisory board until his death, January 2.
Virginia state Sen. Linda Todd "Toddy" Puller, another charter member of the In Memory advisory board, stated early on, "A plaque would bind up the wounds. There is still a great deal of pain from this war, people who died and people who are dying still as a result of the war."
Robert S. Doubek, project director for the original Vietnam Veterans Memorial, testified in a Senate hearing, "Unlike the many proposals for additions to the Memorial based upon service branch or other categories, which are divisive, the "In Memory" plaque will be unifying. Those it honors share just one thing: they gave their lives for their country because of Vietnam. As such it sets no precedent, but rather closes the book and completes the Memorial."Diane Carlson Evans, leader of the Vietnam Womens' Memorial project, endorsed the plaque, saying, in part, "...perhaps the language on a plaque dedicated to the memory of post war deaths will contribute to the understanding of the enormous toll war exacts. People do not only die on the battlefield, they may die years later from chemical poisoning, lingering infections, emotional wounds, and complications of tropical diseases. Perhaps a plaque will contribute to the healing of those loved ones left behind. When this generation is gone, and the need for healing noted only in history books, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial plaque will instruct, inform, and inspire every visitor to work for peace."
"The war isn't over for our Vietnam veterans," wrote one mother. "They are fighting different enemies now...the casualties mount and have become too high for us to count. They should be remembered."
Another family member noted: "It is so very important to myself and my family to have the In Memory monument to honor all those fallen heroes...the Vietnam memorial section will truly be complete."
Nelson Hughes, a U.S. Navy veteran being treated for cancer attributed to his exposure to Agent Orange, is an In Memory advisory board member. He writes that in 1995 "the war came to me once again. This war is frightening beyond description. This enemy lies within. I wish I could fight it man to man...Veterans are dying and suffering as a direct result of Vietnam...they seldom get honors...We who served in Vietnam did so honorably, at a time when it was not popular to do so."
"I volunteered for service because I was taught by my family to be a responsible citizen. I also went because our 'brothers' were fighting and dying for us. They still are dying for us and I believe this Memorial will help to close the circle...This is a small token that can mean a lot to the families and loved ones of those who gave all for America."
The Vietnam War In Memory Memorial, Inc. advisory board is composed of veterans and family members of veterans who died after theVietnam War. In addition to Sen. Puller, of Mt. Vernon, VA, they include Michael Fluck, Lyons, PA; Phyllis Miller-Copus, Stratford, OK; Victoria Nicely, Corvallis, OR; Orlando Morrison, Norris, SD; Nelson Hughes, Varysburg, NY, and Carla L. Carolan, East Quogue, NY.
The In Memory headquarters board of directors in Fredericksburg, VA , includes Ruth Coder Fitzgerald, president; Walter Jervis Sheffield, vice president; Nicolina Corey, secretary, and James A. Mann, treasurer.
The In Memory memorial concept is endorsed by Vietnam Veterans of America. Among its many other supporters are the Vietnam Women's Memorial, The Virginia Department of the American Legion, AMVETS, Veterans for Peace, Military-Brats, The Agent Orange Widows Awareness Coaltion, The Society of the 173D Airborne, Rolling Thunder International, the National Conference of Vietnam Veteran Ministers, Veterans of Foreign Wars and the National Congress of American Indians.
For more information, or to volunteer with the "In Memory" plaque project, the public is invited to call 540-371-3253, visit the group's web site, send email to RCoderFitz@aol.com, or write to the Vietnam War In Memory Memorial, Inc., 808 Charlotte Street, Fredericksburg, VA , 22401.
The "In Memory" web site location is:
/inmemory/VietWarMem/plaque.htm
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