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IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Press Release
November 9, 2004
No. 04-045Contact:
Mokie Porter
(301) 585-4000 Ext. 146
(301) 996-0901Vietnam Veterans of America to Host
Dedication of In Memory Plaque at The Wall
(Washington, D.C.) ~ Vietnam Veterans of America will host the dedication of the final element of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, the In Memory Plaque, with a candlelight ceremony beginning at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, November 10, adjacent to Three Fighting Men statue near The Wall.
"We are proud to host this dedication ceremony," said VVA National President Thomas H. Corey. "Since the idea was proposed in 1996, we have been strong supporters of the plaque, which acknowledges and honors Vietnam War veterans whose postwar deaths have resulted from their service in that war, but whose names are not eligible to be added to The Wall. That group includes those who perished due to diseases linked to exposure to Agent Orange and to the debilitating effects of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder."
The dedication ceremony commemorates the addition of the congressionally authorized In Memory Plaque to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. The plaque was unveiled July 8. The November 10 dedication ceremony will begin Veterans Day activities in the Nation's Capital."This plaque is the culmination of years of hard work by many people," said Ruth Coder Fitzgerald, founder of the Vietnam War In Memory Memorial Plaque Project. "We are grateful for all those around the nation who have supported us. This is a long-overdue tribute to their comrades who have fallen since the war."
### Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA) is the nation's only congressionally chartered veterans service organization dedicated to the needs of Vietnam-era veterans and their families. VVA's founding principle is "Never again will one generation of veterans abandon another."
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