FOR INFORMATION ABOUT THE SUCESSFUL CONCLUSION OF THIS PROJECT CLICK HERE:

IN MEMORY PLAQUE PROJECT GATEWAY PAGE

http://www.vietnamproject.ttu.edu/inmemory/vietwarmem/plaque.htm

 

The Vietnam War
In Memory
Memorial Plaque Project

Honoring America's post-Vietnam Casualties

In Memory
The memorial plaque recognizes American veterans who, like these, returned home to face their final battles:




James C. Fluck

April 22, 1945

January 2, 1976

U.S. Army




Harvey D. Corey

May 24, 1931

July 18, 1995

U.S. Marine Corps




Lovell Brandon

April 16, 1934

July 11, 1988

U.S. Marine Corps




John K. Coder

October 13, 1942

July 17, 1992

U.S. Air Force




Kathleen Glover Lewis

October 23, 1944

December 3, 1995

U.S. Navy




Jimmy D. Miller

December 13, 1946

October 30, 1994

U.S. Navy




Lewis B. Puller, Jr.

August 18, 1945

May 11, 1994

U.S. Marine Corps




Michael Carolan

May 25, 1948

February 12, 1981

U.S. Army




Elmo R. Zumwalt III

July 30, 1946

August 13, 1988

U.S. Navy




John R. Brejla

September 10, 1948

August 15, 1985

U.S. Army




Gary L. Gray

August 23, 1946

February 11, 1992

U.S. Navy




Robert A. Douglass

November 21, 1949

February 19, 1999

U.S. Army




Keith Voyne Ganskow, Jr.

September 21, 1946

January 16, 1983

U.S. Marine Corps




Robert L. Stogdale

July 23, 1929

June 21, 1988

U.S. Air Force




Gary Alan Peck

July 30, 1951

June 11, 1978

U.S. Army




Scotty D. Blakeney

March 15, 1953

October 24, 1998

U.S. Army




Stephen T. Anderson

April 6, 1949

January 27, 1996

U.S. Army




William E. Bowles, Jr.

July 31, 1931

March 3, 1989

U.S. Army




Robert P. Olszewski

July 28, 1949

September 21, 1996

U.S. Army




Gerald "Pete" Smith

November 16, 1947

December 18, 1998

U.S. Army




Richard H. Marciniak

November 2, 1923

April 29, 1972

U. S. Marine Corps




George Puglia, Jr.

July 14, 1940

December 9, 1987

U.S. Army




Charles Bruce Bryant

September 18, 1948

July 22, 1983

U.S. Army




Kenneth V. Ewing

October 21, 1930

January 4, 1983

U.S. Marine Corps




Frank L. Hoch

June 7, 1937

May 27, 1995

U.S. Air Force




William A. 'Bill' Baker

October 20, 1944

February 21, 1996

U.S. Army




Stephen T. Simpson

March 3, 1949

March 18, 2000

U.S. Navy




Martin L. "Quietly" 
Kaufman 

July 24, 1939

October 31, 1997

U.S. Air Force




Robert L. Marlow

November 16, 1945

June 1, 1998

U.S. Army




Wayne Travis Searles, Sr.

February 1, 1950

November 17, 1992

U.S. Army




Lewis Fred Cleveland

August 20, 1949

August 6, 2000

U.S. Army




Franklin Delanor Hill

July 25, 1947

October 11, 1974

U.S. Army




Daniel Patrick Henry

December 12, 1949

May 12, 1983

U.S. Marine Corps




Larry R. Hatcher

September 12, 1946

February 4, 1992

U.S.Army




Robert G. Miner

July 15, 1946

January 27, 2001

U.S. Army




William David Weathers

November 23, 1944

January 4, 2001

U.S. Marine Corps

U.S. Navy Seabees




Richard Neil Kanea

October 10, 1947

August 1, 2000

U.S. Navy




Ernest Bill Holdren

May 2, 1943

January 28, 1969

U.S. Army




James R."Pappy" Miller, Sr.

August 2, 1928

July 14, 1986

U.S. Navy Seabees




Samuel E. Kostmayer III

September 2, 1942

September 15, 2001

United States Army




John Henry Bauer

April 12, 1949

October 5, 1972

U.S. Army Airborne




Larry Norbert Matz

December 2, 1949

May 2, 1997

U.S. Army




Willis W. Conley

February 13, 1934

June 21, 1979

U.S. Army




Jimmy Darryl Bradley

May 31, 1947

October 13, 1997

U.S. Army




Mike Miller

December 3, 1946

June 26, 1991

U.S. Army




Austin Leigh Cable

August 8, 1944

March 6, 2002

U.S. Navy




Joseph Ferencz

May 28, 1933

March 9, 1987

U.S. Air Force




Karl Douglas Fields

December 30, 1949

April 9, 1985

U.S. Army




Lance A. Eagan

February 20, 1940

September 15, 1993

U.S. Coast Guard




G.R. "Chap" McCahan, Jr.

December 15, 1930

Feb 4, 1987

U.S. Air Force
&
U.S. Army
Special Forces




Carl William Melton

February 26, 1930

January 25, 1993

U.S. Army




David R. Chamberlain

January 13,1948

August 23, 2002

U.S. Marines




Howard Keith Williams

June 6, 1950

March 8, 1999

U.S. Army




Joseph A. Webster

August 8, 1933

June 11, 1994

U.S. Air Force




James Eugene Henderson

September 11, 1930

December 3, 2002

U.S Air Force




Dennis R.J. Graham

July 9, 1946

May 1, 2002

U.S. Army




Louis E. (Wes)
Westerburg III

March 13, 1946

March 11, 1992

U.S.Marine Corps




Michael Raymond Redding

January 20, 1950

January 26, 2003

U.S. Army




Broadus Ayers Crabtree, Jr.

June 16,1948

November 25, 2001

U.S. Army Airborne




James David Cowles

July 14, 1947

April 20, 2003

U.S. Army




Gregg D. Larson

August 24,1947

March 29,1971

U.S. Marine Corps




John J. Hogan

February 3, 1950

November 18, 2003

U.S. Army Airborne




Gary D. Berry

April 30, 1949

December 4, 1997

U.S. Army




James E. Wright

November 5, 1940

September 5th, 2000

U.S. Army




Marvin Lowell Mack

February 25, 1946

December 10, 2003

U.S. Army




Jimmy Rogers Cauley

April 10, 1936

March 5, 1980

U.S. Army



William F. O'Connell

July 2, 1933

March 29, 1976

U.S. Army



Larry E. Shehorn

May 22, 1943

November 18, 2004

U.S. Army



Nelson C. Hughes

August 27, 1950

August 27, 2005

U.S. Navy


The In Memory Plaque Project Visual Testament

These veterans' photos were provided by family members to symbolically represent the countless men and women whose lives ended prematurely as a result of their service in the Vietnam War.



 

 
Since Vietnam, Americans who served their country in Southeast Asia in this nation's longest war continue to suffer premature deaths related to their service, due to Agent Orange induced illnesses post- traumatic stress disorder, and a growing register of other causes.

The Department of Veterans Affairs maintains no comprehensive records of these "hidden casualties of Vietnam." Their names will never be inscribed on the Wall.

There is a void at the Wall, in the words of one of these veterans' widows. To help bridge the void, the nonprofit Vietnam War In Memory Memorial Plaque Project formed in the mid-90's and obtained overwhelming Congressional approval for a privately funded ground-level plaque on the Memorial grounds, bearing no names, but designed and worded to acknowledge and commemorate these postwar casualties. Public Law 106-214 directs the American Battle Monuments Commission to solicit and accept private contributions for the plaque, and to accomplish its placement in consultation with the architects of the Vietnam Women's Memorial Project, Inc. and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, Inc.

It would be impossible to identify by name all of the postwar casualties for whom the In Memory commemorative plaque serves as a point of honor, but the symbolic recognition will call their unseen sacrifice to the attention of all who visit the Memorial, reinforcing the legendary emotional healing power of the Wall.

To accomplish the plaque, the ABMC included the Vietnam War In Memory Memorial Plaque Project in a working coalition with the Vietnam Women's Memorial Project, Inc. and the VVMF. A nationally respected independent architectural consultant studied the overall Vietnam Veterans Memorial site and affirmed the consensus of the ABMC staff and the memorials' architects for an appropriate and accessible location in an extension of the plaza where the Three Servicemen statue stands.

The coalition worked together to arrive at an inscription,

which, together with the proposed site and plaque design, was reviewed and approved by the ABMC, the National Capitol Memorials Commission, the National Park Service, the Commission on Fine Arts, and the National Capitol Planning Commission.

The ABMC formally unveiled the plaque, (which was installed May 7) on July 8 at 10 a.m.

The plaque was officially dedicated on Veterans Day eve, November 10, in a 7 p.m. candlelight ceremony conducted by Vietnam Veterans of America, Inc. ®

The costs associated with placing this addition at the most-visited memorial in the nation's capitol were relatively high, primarily because the approved design called for renovation and extension of the Three Servicemen Plaza to accommodate the plaque.

Although large corporate and institutional donations were significant in advancing the project, individual and family participation has been vital in maintaining the grass-roots essence of the memorial.

For privacy reasons,the American Battle Monuments Commission, a federal agency, did not release donors' names. We invited donors to the ABMC's Vietnam Plaque Fund to notify us with individual memorial dedications or information for listings of their names, organizations or businesses on The Vietnam War In Memory Memorial Plaque Project's Recognition and Dedication Page.


Scroll down to view more visual testaments and find out more about the Vietnam War In Memory Memorial Plaque Project ...


Legislative History:

A constituent's letter about the Vietnam War In Memory Memorial, Inc. plaque project moved Rep. Gallegly to introduce H.R. 3293 on November 10, 1999 with 104 original co-sponsors -- an outstanding show of strong, bipartisan support which snowballed to a co-sponsorship totaling 290 (click here to see our House co-sponsors), leading to unanimous passage by a vote of 421 on May 9, 2000, followed by the measure's passage by the Senate May 25, and signing into law by the President on June 15.

"Over the years I have supported numerous pieces of legislation to support veterans of the Vietnam War and all our veterans, and I didn't have to think long before deciding to introduce this bill,"Rep. Gallegly said.

On November 16, 1999, Sen. Campbell introduced S.1921, 'The Vietnam Veterans Recognition Act of 1999.' Click here to view S.1921's 51 Senate cosponsors.

In his introductory remarks Sen. Campbell declared, "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."


Partial text of Public Law 106-214 authorizing the ABMC to place the Vietnam War In Memory Memorial Plaque:

"The American Battle Monuments Commission is authorized 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 memorial wall.

The plaque shall be at least 6 square feet in size, and of whatever shape as the American Battle Monuments Commission determines to be appropriate for the site. The plaque shall bear an inscription prepared by the American Battle Monuments Commission.

In designing the plaque, preparing the inscription, and selecting the specific location for the plaque within the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, the American Battle Monuments Commission shall consult with the architects of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, Inc. and the Vietnam Women's Memorial, Inc.

Federal funds may not be used to design, procure, or install the plaque, the legislation stated. However, the preceding sentence does not apply to the payment of the salaries, expenses, and other benefits otherwise authorized by law for members of the American Battle Monuments Commission or other personnel (including detailees) of the American Battle Monuments Commission who carry out this section.

The American Battle Monuments Commission shall solicit and accept private contributions for the design, procurement, and installation of the plaque. The American Battle Monuments Commission shall establish an account into which the contributions will be deposited and shall maintain documentation of the contributions."

Click here to view full text.


The links displayed below reflect the broad scope of endorsements for the In Memory plaque project concept: Year-round recognition for these veterans at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, DC.

 

Vietnam Veterans of America, Inc.®


Virginia State Council, 
Vietnam Veterans of America, Inc.®


Hall-Howell Chapter #512 
Vietnam Veterans of America, Inc.® 


Vermont State Council,
Vietnam Veterans of America, Inc.®


VVA Virginia Piedmont Area Chapter 752
Vietnam Veterans of America, Inc.®


VVA Virginia Battlefield Chapter 617 
Vietnam Veterans of America, Inc.®


The Society of the 173D Airborne Brigade


The National Conference of
Vietnam Veteran Ministers


Veterans of the Vietnam War, Inc.


The Sena Foundation


Roger K. Pitman, M.D.


National Congress of American Indians


Associates-Vietnam Veterans of America, Inc. ®


Rolling Thunder ®, Inc.


Fallen Warriors Foundation


ALLVETS, INC.


Military-Brats Registry


Veterans of Foreign Wars


AMVETS


Vietnam Women's Memorial Foundation


The Korean War Veterans Association


Agent Orange Widows Awareness Coalition


Connecticut Veterans' Groups (click to read)


American Legion, Department of Virginia


American Gold Star Mothers, Inc.


Rhode Island Veterans Action Center


Rhode Island Chapter 325,
Vietnam Veterans of America, Inc.®


United Veterans Council of Rhode Island


The Bristol, Rhode Island, Veterans Council


Italian American War Veterans of the U.S., Inc.

Bristol, Rhode Island Cappucci-Weir Post #1


Rhode Island Disabled American Veterans Lawson-Raiola No. 15, Bristol, Rhode Island


Commonwealth of Virginia General Assembly


Vietnam Veterans of America ® Region One
(Six New England States) by Special Resolution


American Veterans and Defense Alliance


The Order of the Silver Rose


Khe Sanh Veterans Association, Inc.


Agent Orange Victims & Widows Support Network and the Quilts of Tears project

 


Note: This archived site includes most information from the active site, including the name of the organization as a Virginia corporation. As was always the plan, the organization was dissolved after the Vietnam War In Memory Plaque was established. See Gateway Page.

     

The Vietnam War
In Memory
Memorial, Inc.
808 Charlotte Street
Fredericksburg, Virginia
22401
540-371-3253

Email: RCoderFitz@Cox.net

(formerly RCoderFitz@aol.com)

     


Board of Directors
 

Ruth Coder Fitzgerald
President
 

Walter Jervis Sheffield
Vice President
 

Nicolina Corey
Secretary
 

James A. Mann
Treasurer
 
 



 
 

Advisory Board
 

Cynthia P. Baker
Amherst, NH

Genevieve Douglass Beckham
Long Beach, CA

Victoria Brejla
LaGrange, IL

Carla L. Carolan
East Quogue, NY

Diane Carlson Evans
Helena, MT

James Michael Fluck
Reinholds, PA

Nelson C. Hughes
Varysburg, NY

Phyllis Miller-Copus
Stratford, OK

Orlando B. Morrison, Sr
Rapid City, SD

Sen. Linda T. "Toddy" Puller
Mount Vernon, VA

James G. Zumwalt
Reston, VA
 
 


 


Members and friends of Vietnam War In Memory Memorial, Inc. thank the late Elmo R. Zumwalt, Jr., Admiral, USN (Ret.), for his years of generous service as a charter member of the advisory board.


Read tribute to

Admiral Zumwalt

from Vietnam Veterans of America 



... items of continuing interest...

 

Harley-Davidson Gives

$50,000 Toward

In Memory Plaque

Washington D.C., May 27, 2001

At the Rolling Thunder XIV rally on the Mall, Jim McCaslin, President of Harley-Davidson Motor Company, presented The American Battle Monuments Commission with a $50,000 donation toward the Congressionally authorized In Memory Memorial Plaque honoring veterans who died after their service in the Vietnam War, but as a direct result of that service. The gift was made "on behalf of Harley-Davidson and our many employees, dealers and customers," McCaslin noted. 


President Signs Gallegly Bill

To Honor Vietnam Veterans

WASHINGTON, D.C. - June 15 (2000) - President Clinton today signed a bill by Congressman Elton Gallegly (R-Ventura County, California) to create a plaque in the vicinity of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial to honor those who died after the war, but because of the war.

The Senate approved the bill unanimously on May 24, 2000. The House of Representatives approved the bill on May 9, 2000, on a 421-0 vote.

"Hundreds, perhaps thousands, of men and women served with great honor for America and had their lives cut short because of it. They deserve to be recognized for their sacrifice," Gallegly said. "Now, with the President's signature, the loved ones of these veterans will have a symbol of healing, something they can touch and remember."

Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell (R-Colorado) guided Gallegly's bill through the Senate. Campbell had introduced his own bill in the Senate, but after discussions with Gallegly, decided to move Gallegly's bill instead so it could pass before Memorial Day.

"Hopefully...the families of those veterans will have a place in our nation's capital where their loved one's sacrifice is honored and recognized for future generations," Gallegly said.

Although the Department of Defense adds some names to the Vietnam War Memorial each year, it does not recognize many conditions as being service-related, such as Agent Orange exposure and post traumatic stress syndrome. The plaque created by Gallegly's bill would honor all whose deaths are not otherwise recognized by the monument.

Gallegly's bill attracted formidable bipartisan support. Before the bill was introduced last November, more than 100 Congress Members had signed on as cosponsors. By the time the House voted, more than 290 Members of Congress from both parties had signed onto it, more than two-thirds of the House.

Campbell's bill had 51 Senate cosponsors - more than half the Senate.

The bill authorizes the placement of a 6-square-foot to 18-square-foot plaque within the 13-acre Vietnam War Memorial site. No public funds would be used for the plaque. The inscription, design and exact placement will be approved by the American Battle Monument Commission in consultation with the National Park Service, the Commission on Fine Arts, the National Capitol Planning Commission, Vietnam Women's Memorial Inc. and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund.

Vietnam Veterans of Ventura County Inc. is among the groups who have endorsed the concept of the plaque. Other groups include: Vietnam Veterans of America; Veterans of Foreign Wars; AMVETS; Vietnam Women's Memorial Inc.; Rolling Thunder; The Korean War Veterans Association; the National Congress of American Indians; the National Conference of Viet Nam Veteran Ministers; The Vietnam War In Memory Memorial Inc.; the Society of the 173D Airborne Brigade; the Agent Orange Widows Awareness Coalition; American Gold Star Mothers; and Veterans of the Vietnam War Inc.

###

Press Contact:

Tom Pfeifer, Press Secretary to Congressman Elton Gallegly

2427 Rayburn HOB, Washington, DC., 20515

Voice: (202) 225-1946 -- Fax: (202) 225 1100

email thomas.pfeifer@mail.house.gov


 
Greensboro, N.C., August, 2001...

Vietnam Veterans of America

Reaffirm Support for

In Memory Memorial Plaque

       I am pleased to inform you that the resolution submitted to the delegates at the 10th National Convention passed unanimously and is now part of the official VVA family of activist resolutions.

       Congratulations and we look forward to continuing our long history of cooperation to assure the completion of this fine project.

       Jim Doyle

       Public Affairs Committee Chair

       Vietnam Veterans of America

       http://www.vva.org/

The Resolution:

Issue:

       Many men and women who served in Vietnam returned home only to die years later as a direct result of their service in Vietnam.

Background:

       The dedication of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, DC recognized forever the memory of those who are officially listed as Killed In Action (KIA) or Prisoner Of War-Missing In Action (POW-MIA).

       The names of over 58,000 men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice for their comrades and our nation are etched on the black granite panels. The memory and sacrifice of these brave men and women stands as quiet tribute and testimony to their dedication and service.

       An alarming number of Vietnam Veterans have died young from illnesses stemming from toxic herbicides (cancers; diabetes), war wounds, PTSD (heart attacks; suicide), and Hepatitis C, among others. The death toll continues climbing and is expected to get worse.

       At present there is no memorial recognizing the sacrifice of Vietnam Veterans who continue to die as a direct result of their service in Vietnam.

       The Vietnam War In Memory Memorial Plaque Project has proposed, and the Congress has enacted legislation that will permit the installation of a plaque within the 13-acre Vietnam Veterans Memorial site acknowledging their service and paying tribute to their sacrifice.

       The In Memory Plaque will not contain individual names, but a simple statement recognizing the fact that so many have died as a result of their service, forever ensuring that all the sacrifices will be acknowledged.

       VVA has supported this effort since its inception, and has presented testimony to Senate and House committees responsible for the legislation.

Position:

       Vietnam Veterans of America, Inc. at the National Convention in Greensboro, North Carolina, August 1-5, 2001 calls upon Vietnam veterans and their families to support all efforts to have the Vietnam War Memorial In Memory Plaque placed in an appropriate location within the area defined by the National Park Service as The Vietnam Veterans Memorial site, and further encourages them to participate in public awareness and fund raising activities in support of the project.


WEBSITE UPDATES CEASED UPON COMPLETION OF THE PLAQUE PROJECT




Click to read

The Dragon

A poem by the late Nelson C. Hughes

Member, the In Memory Plaque Project 

Advisory Board 


Click to read a eulogy to one of these veterans.
It could serve for many more.


Click to read a story and verse tribute to a Washington State veteran whose Vietnam experiences followed and finally claimed him - but not before he found himself again through his music , his friends, and his family.



    On October 1, 1984, Jerry Serino, president of the Mid-Hudson Valley Chapter of Vietnam Veterans of America, committed suicide. 
    John P. Rowan of the New York State Council of the Vietnam Veterans of America, was moved to write these words:
     
     

~THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WALL~

In Washington D.C.

On a low grassy hill

carved on a long sloping wall

made of shiny black granite

are the names of 59,000 plus men

and eight women.

This is the official list

of the dead from the

Vietnam War.

But, there is another side

of this wall

also containing a list

of an equal number of names

steadily growing

of those men and women

who are also victims of the

Vietnam War.

They died away

from the field of battle

so they are not as noticeable.

Sometimes their deaths were

Self inflicted,

ending years of inner torment.

Sometimes they succumbed to

various diseases,

Caused by origins, known,

but not admitted.

Sometimes death was at the end

of a needle,

trying to ease the pain

in their minds.

But no matter how they died,

they were also KIAs.

Victims of the war fought on the battlefields

of the VA hospitals and the halls of Congress. 

And the list will continue to grow 

on the other side of the wall 

until those of us still living 

can win the war of the peace.



 
 



 

Click to see the

In Memory Plaque Project

Donor Recognitions
& Dedications Page




Click here to access Congressional testimony and other information about the In Memory Plaque Project and its work to obtain year-round public acknowledgment and honor for post-war casualties of Vietnam

 


 

GO to In Memory Plaque Project Gateway

 

 


 

Email -The Vietnam War 'In Memory' Memorial Plaque Project - Email



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FOR INFORMATION ABOUT THE SUCESSFUL CONCLUSION OF THIS PROJECT CLICK HERE:

IN MEMORY PLAQUE PROJECT GATEWAY PAGE

http://www.vietnamproject.ttu.edu/inmemory/vietwarmem/plaque.htm



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