Press release from Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund:
More than 400 Vietnam veterans, including four from western North Carolina, will be inducted into the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund’s (VVMF) In Memory Program in 2017. The program honors Vietnam veterans whose lives were cut short as a result of their service in Vietnam, but are not eligible for inscription on The Wall under Department of Defense guidelines.
On June 17, 2017, VVMF will host more than 2,000 attendees at the annual ceremony on the East Knoll of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, where each In Memory honoree’s name will be read aloud. This year, 411 service members will be honored during the ceremony. The master of ceremonies will be Capt. Denis Faherty.
The plaque that honors these veterans was dedicated as a part of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in 2004. It 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.
In Memory began in 1999 and has since honored more than 2,800 veterans. The In Memory Honor Roll has a remembrance page for each veteran and can be seen online at www.vvmf.org/honor-roll. The 2017 inductees will be added to the Honor Roll after the June ceremony.
2017 In Memory Inductees from Western North Carolina:
Willard Cleveland Davenport, U.S. Navy
Sylva, N.C.
June 18. 1946 – June 18, 2013
Marilyn Eileen Gardner, U.S. Army
Hamptonville, N.C.
June 24, 1945 – June 5, 2011
William Charles King, U.S. Army
Asheville, N.C.
January 7, 1942 – July 30, 2012
Jack Douglas Mays, U.S. Army
Winston-Salem, N.C.
October 29, 1947 – October 30, 2009
For more information on the In Memory program, please visit: www.vvmf.org/inmemory.
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 202-393-0090.
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