Thursday, September 17, 2009

Discover their stories, honor their values

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Foundation has embarked on a fund raising effort to build an education center at the Vietnam War Memorial Wall. I just saw a full page advertisement for this in Armchair General, a magazine I subscribe to.


The Education Center will be built adjacent to the Lincoln Memorial. The center will not only put faces to the 58,000 names on the wall, but will house and display letters, photos and artifacts that have been left at the wall. The American History Museum had a display of artifacts left at the wall that brought me to tears every time I stood in front of the display case. When I have gone down to DC and have walked the length of the wall, I can't help but stop and read things that have been left at certain panels. I never walk away with dry eyes. I can only imagine how moving this Education Center will be.


More information about the center and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund can be found at their website: http://www.vvmf.org/.


DSCN7447


Above, sculpture at the Vietnam Wall in Washington, DC.


Today's Washington Post is also carrying a story on the center and the task at collecting photos of the 58,000 plus veterans listed on the wall: Putting Faces to the Names on the Vietnam Memorial. According to the article, 10,000 photos have been received so far and $20 million has been raised of the $85 million needed to build the center.

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