SOURCE: The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund
May 14, 2018
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Memorial Day ceremony at The Wall to honor America’s service members who have made the ultimate sacrifice
Hal Kushner, M.D., COL (Ret.) USA, former prisoner of war, to deliver keynote remarks
Washington, D.C. – On Monday, May 28 at 1 p.m., the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund (VVMF) and the National Park Service (NPS) will host the annual Memorial Day Observance at The Wall, during which changes to The Wall will be commemorated and all members of America’s armed forces who have made the ultimate sacrifice will be honored. The event is free and open to the public.
Hal Kushner, M.D. COL (Ret.) USA will deliver the keynote remarks. Dr. Kushner’s military experience includes active duty in the United States Army from 1965 to 1977, and duty as an Army reserve officer from 1977 to 1986 when he retired with the rank of Colonel. Dr. Kushner served with the 1st Squadron, 9th U.S. Cavalry, 1st Air Cavalry Division in Vietnam. He was captured on December 2, 1967 and released to American Control in Hanoi on March 16, 1973.
The master of ceremonies for the Memorial Day Observance at The Wall will be Gorham L. Black, III, COL (Ret.) USA. Col. Black entered the Army in 1963 and served two tours in Vietnam.
Each spring, VVMF works with the Department of Defense to make sure The Wall is accurate. Names are added for those service members who have met the Department of Defense criteria for addition to The Wall, having sustained wounds in Vietnam from which they eventually perished. No new names were added to The Wall this year.
Beside each name on The Wall is a symbol designating status. The diamond symbol denotes confirmed death. The cross represents missing in action. When a service member’s remains are returned or accounted for, the diamond is superimposed over the cross. In 2017, fifteen service members who previously were missing were accounted for and those service members will be officially welcomed home at the ceremony.
These fifteen service members were accounted for in 2017:
• Robert Russell Barnett; CAPT; USAF; Gladewater, Texas; Panel 6E, Line 91
• James Reginald Bauder; CAPT; USN; La Canada, Calif.; Panel 10E, Line 126
• David Thomas Dinan, III; 1LT; USAF; Nutley, NJ; Panel 29W, Line 62
• Charles Bernard Goodwin; LCDR; USN; Haskell, Texas.; Panel 2E, Line 78
• Donald Joe Hall; CMS; USAF; Stroud, Okla.; Panel 14E, Line 129
• Roosevelt Hestle, Jr.; COL; USAF; Orlando, Fla.; Panel 8E, Line 134
• Robert Edwin Holton; CAPT; USAF; Butte, Mon.; Panel 33W, Line 14
• John Alexander House, II; CAPT; USMC; Pelham, NY; Panel 22E, Line 87
• John Dewey Killen, III; LCPL; USMC; Des Moines, Iowa; Panel 22E, Line 88
• Glyn Linal Runnels, Jr.; CPL; USMC; Birmingham, Ala.; Panel 22E, Line 90
• William Cornelius Ryan, Jr.; 1LT; USMC; Bogota, NJ; Panel 25W, Line 54
• Martin Ronald Scott; COL; USAF; Tula, Okla.; Panel 6E, Line 12
• Joseph Stanley Smith; CAPT; USAF; Assumption, Ill.; Panel 4W, Line 106
• Daniel Wayne Thomas; CAPT; USAF; Danbury, Iowa; Panel 3W, Line 102
• James Blair White; MAJ; USAF; St. Petersburg, Fla.; Panel 16W, Line 119
Learn more about each of these service members on their Wall of Faces pages at: www.vvmf.org/thewall.
The Department of Defense sets the criteria for and makes decisions about whose names are eligible for inscription on The Wall. VVMF pays for any name additions and status changes, and works with the National Park Service to ensure long-term preservation and maintenance of The Wall.
About the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund
The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund (VVMF) is the nonprofit organization that founded the Vietnam Veterans Memorial (The Wall) in Washington, D.C. in 1982. VVMF continues to lead the way in paying tribute to our nation’s Vietnam veterans and their families. VVMF’s mission is to honor and preserve the legacy of service in America and educate all generations about the impact of the Vietnam War and era.
VVMF is in the fundraising stages to build the Education Center at The Wall. The Center will be an interactive learning facility on the National Mall where our military heroes’ stories and sacrifice will never be forgotten. The Education Center will feature the faces and stories of the more than 58,000 men and women on The Wall and honor America’s Legacy of Service, including those serving in our nation’s armed forces today. Time Warner is the Lead Gift Benefactor in the campaign to build the Education Center at The Wall. To learn more about VVMF and the Education Center at The Wall, visit www.vvmf.org or call 202-393-009
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For more information:
Heidi Zimmerman
hzimmerman@vvmf.org
202-765-3773
http://www.vvmf.org/news/article=Memorial-Day-ceremony-to-honor-Americas-service-members-who-have-made-the-ultimate-sacrifice