Dear Friends of the Vietnam War In Memory Plaque Project,

Following the placement and dedication of the Congressionally authorized In Memory Plaque at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., the Vietnam War In Memory Memorial, Inc., was dissolved as of January 1, 2005. The organization's web site, which was housed throughout its active life on an America Online server at http://members.aol.com/vietwarmem/plaque.htm is now archived with The Vietnam Project of Texas Tech University. To request permission to download In Memory Plaque Project files for other than personal purposes, please contact The Vietnam Project administrators. Photographs of individual veterans appearing with this Web site were provided by their relatives and friends in response to requests from the In Memory Plaque Project for the sole purpose of providing visual testaments supporting the establishment of the In Memory Plaque. No authorization was requested or has been established for their display beyond the context of the In Memory Plaque Project.

Thanks are due to all who joined in bringing the Vietnam War In Memory Memorial Plaque Project to a successful conclusion, and to those of you who attended in person or in spirit July 8, 2004, for the plaque's unveiling and November 10, 2004, when Vietnam Veterans of America dedicated the In Memory Plaque in a candlelight ceremony. A small selection of dedication photos appears below, with many more available through the accompanying link.

You are invited to browse this archive to learn more about the In Memory Plaque project, to link to it, and to share your knowledge of the plaque and its continuing mission, to bring recognition and a share of honor to those men and women who died after, but due to, their service in the Vietnam War, and who cannot by Department of Defense guidelines be recognized by name on The Wall at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C.

Sincerely,

Ruth Coder Fitzgerald
Former President
Vietnam War In Memory Memorial, Inc.

 

Major related pages on this site

In Memory Plaque Project Main Page 

In Memory Plaque Project Donor Recognitions & Dedications

Related pages outside this site

American Battle Monuments Commission 

National Park Service Vietnam Veterans Memorial Link

National Park Service In Memory Plaque Link

 

The Vietnam War In Memory Memorial Plaque Project Honoring America's Post-Vietnam Casualties In Memory Memorial Plaque Dedication Ceremony November 10, 2004 7:30 pm Below is a preliminary selection of dedication photos.   VVA's George Duggins delivers the Invocation Remarks by speakers Viewing the proceedings Moment of Remembrance At the In Memory Plaque after the ceremony Advisory Board member Carla Carolan, left, with family Minnesota visitor Mary Lou Wolsey Advisory Board Member Genevieve Douglass-Beckham of the Agent Orange Widows Awareness Coalition  Floral tributes and personal memorabilia Visiting Cub Scouts learn about the In Memory Plaque Marine Corps Vietnam veterans visit plaque   ~ Click Here for More Dedication Ceremony photos ~ Dedication Program Call To Service Rick Weidman - Vietnam Veteran Combat Medic Invocation George Duggins - Past National President, Vietnam Veterans of America Presentation of Colors VVA Chapter 752, Culpeper, Virginia Pledge of Allegiance Mary Miller, President, Associates of Vietnam Veterans of America National Anthem Capt. Duane L. Feuerhelm, USN, (Ret) Welcome/Introductions Rick Weidman   Remarks   Robert Karotko, National Park Service Ruth Coder Fitzgerald, President, Vietnam War In Memory Memorial, Inc. Thomas Buckley, Husband of the late Lynda Van Devanter, women's veterans advocate, whose memoir, "Home Before Morning," helped to inspire the television series,China Beach. Thomas H. Corey, President, Vietnam Veterans of America John P. Rowan, New York State Council, VVA Reading, 'The Other Side of the Wall' ~Moment of Remembrance, Illumination ~ All Amazing Grace Patrick O'Brien Benediction George Duggins   Taps Ryan Maxwell Blank, Floyd T. Binns Middle School, Culpeper, Virginia   Links to news releases:   *In Memory Plaque Project News Release* *VVA Announces Dedication Sponsorship* In Memory Plaque Location The In Memory Memorial Plaque is set cathedral-style into an extension of the plaza where the Three Servicemen statue stands, with views toward The Wall and the Women's Memorial. The engraving is in Optima, the same typeface used on the Wall. Click here to read the a text -only version of the National Capital Planning Commission's comprehensive 6-page report to the National Park Service regarding the In Memory Memorial Plaque location, design, etc. Click here to download the original NCPC document in PDF format.   Below: Review the In Memory Plaque's progress prior to the VVA's Veterans Day Eve Dedication Ceremony : ~ In Memory Plaque Unveiled ~   Thursday, July 8, 2004 -- Jennie Lefevre's Agent Orange Quilts figured in the unveiling ceremony held July 8 by the American Battle Monuments Commission. Among the participants were, from left, Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell (beyond blue tv camera cover); In Memory Plaque Project leader Ruth Coder Fitzgerald (in blue); Representative Elton Gallegly and Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund President Jan C. Scruggs. This was Jennie's last public appearance with the quilts. We honor her memory and thank her for her longstanding loyal support of the In Memory Plaque Project. Click here to read Rep. Elton Gallegly's address See photos from the July 8 unveiling ceremony: http://www.vietnamproject.ttu.edu/inmemory/in_memory/ Fast (broadband) internet connections will open the pictures page quickly. Phone modem users should expect an extended wait before the full length of the display loads. The American Battle Monuments Commission has removed donor information from its web site and posted this message: We wish to thank those who made generous contributions to make this project a success  No more contributions to the ABMC-VVM Plaque fund are being requested or accepted accepted from private donors. Contributions received in excess of the immediate project needs have been set aside for future maintenance, according to ABMC staff member, Mr. Michael Norbury, who may be reached via email at NorburyM@abmc.gov. Since 2000, when Congress passed Public Law 106-214 authorizing the plaque, the Vietnam War In Memory Memorial, Inc. has encouraged contributions to the American Battle Monuments Commission's plaque fund. We now gratefully join them in thanking all of you who helped to establish this new element of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. We look forward to greeting as many more of you as possible at 7:30 p.m. November 10, for the dedication to be conducted by Vietnam Veterans of America. Click Here for the March 30 VVA news release Donors who have not yet notified us of contributions to the ABMC-VVM Plaque fund are still welcome to notify RCoderFitz@aol.com of the fact, not the amount, of their contribution, and to participate in our In Memory Donor Recognition and Dedications page. Father's Day at the In Memory Plaque  Photo courtesy Joe & Sharon Celesnik Friday, May 7, 2004 - The Vietnam War In Memory memorial plaque was installed by the American Battle Monuments Commission's contractors on the expanded and renovated plaza near the Three Servicemen statue. Shown from left are Firvida Construction Company president Francisco Firvida, Roberto Firvida, ABMC staff member Michael Norbury, and job foreman Jose M. Cavadas. Granite donated by the National Park Service was treated by the manufacturer to provide a slight contrast in tone and texture. Water used clean the surrounding paving emphasizes the contrast in this photo. The engraving, in Optima, the typeface used on the Wall, is filled with a black grout for legibility. Rain will similarly darken the plaque, temporarily veiling the inscription, as it does the names on the Wall.  Click here for high-resolution photos for printouts and media  Friday, April 23, 2004 - Firvida Construction Company stoneworkers proceed with renovation and expansion of the plaza where the In Memory plaque will be located. At left stand architect J.C. Cummings and American Battle Monuments Commission staff member Michael Norbury. ABMC, Architects, Park Service, Stone Contractors Gathered to Advance In Memory Plaque Installation   Friday, March 5, 2004 ~ Thomas R. Sole, the American Battle Monuments Commission's Director of Engineering, Operations and Maintenance, discusses preparatory measures onsite with (around the circle from his left) job foreman Jose M. Cavadas and president Francisco Firvida of Firvida Construction Company; Scot Ahrnsbrak, National Park Service Right of Way Coordinator; Glenn DeMarr, National Park Service Land Use Coordinator; Vietnam Veterans Memorial Architect of Record J.C. Cummings; Stephen A. Lederach of Arnold Associates Landscape Architecture and Urban Design; Sean Kennealy, Chief of Maintenance, National Capital Parks - Central, and ABMC staff member Michael Norbury.   Click here for high resolution photos for press or printouts.   Prior to the authorization of $50,000 to the ABMC by the board of directors of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, the Commission received private contributions totaling more than $83,650, including $50,000 from Harley Davidson Motor Company plus more than $33,650 from veterans' families, friends and loved ones and a variety of veterans' groups and other organizations, businesses, and non-federal government sources, including the State of Vermont. Relatively recent group donors included the New Jersey Council of Vietnam Veterans of America and the Agent Orange Widows Awareness Coalition.   You are invited to visit the Vietnam War In Memory Memorial Plaque Project's Main Page and Donor Recognitions and Dedications Page to learn about some of the many other individuals and organizations who have helped along the way.     In Memory Plaque Project Background: In 2000, sparked by years of efforts on the part of the grass-roots, non-profit, all volunteer Vietnam War In Memory Memorial, Inc., the 106th Congress overwhelmingly passed legislation proposed by Representative Elton Gallegly of California and Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell of Colorado, authorizing a commemorative plaque to be added to the grounds of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, inscribed to acknowledge and honor veterans whose premature deaths were due to their service but who are not eligible for recognition by name on the Wall. A federal agency, the American Battle Monuments Commission, was designated by Congress to solicit and accept private contributions and accomplish the commemorative plaque in consultation with the architects of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund Inc. and the Vietnam Women's Memorial Foundation. The ABMC directed that the design, location and inscription for the commemorative plaque would be reached through a process which included representatives of the VVMF, the VWM, and the Vietnam War In Memory Memorial Plaque Project. The result was approved by authorities, including the National Capital Memorial Commission, the National Commission on Fine Arts, and the National Capital Planning Commission. At its National Convention in Greensboro, North Carolina, August, 2001, the Vietnam Veterans of America, Inc., encouraged Vietnam veterans and their families to support the establishment of the Vietnam War In Memory Memorial Plaque and to participate in public awareness and fund raising activities to honor those veterans for whom the In Memory Plaque will bear constant witness. The In Memory plaque, which bears no names, is inscribed to commemorate ALL postwar casualties whose names are not eligible for placement on the Wall. There is NO requirement for adjudications, donations, registrations, placements on a list, or recognition in a special ceremony for those men and women whose postwar death was service-related to be considered as being included among those whom the In Memory plaque recognizes and honors.  Please visit our Main Page to view photographs representing some of the many veterans the In Memory plaque will honor, and to learn more about the history of the In Memory Plaque Project, the organizations endorsing it, and the people helping to make it happen.     Main Page   Donor Recognitions & Dedications Page   ABMC Vietnam Veterans Plaque Page     For more information please contact: Ruth Coder Fitzgerald  President Vietnam War In Memory Memorial, Inc. 808 Charlotte Street Fredericksburg, VA 22401 540-371-3253 RCoderFitz@cox.net Thomas R. Sole -  Director Engineering, Maintenance & Operations American Battle Monuments Commission Courthouse Plaza II, Suite 500  2300 Clarendon Boulevard  Arlington, VA 22201 703-696-6899 solet@abmc.gov The story of postwar casualties is, unfortunately, a continuing one. Please help to continue raising public awareness of all postwar casualties. Contact your local news media to suggest a story including the Vietnam War In Memory Memorial Plaque. Tell them if you or someone you know are willing to be interviewed. Refer reporters and other media representatives to this website, the ABMC website and to Vietnam Veterans of America for more information... Thank you!   ~ A Library of Congress Veterans History Project Partner ~

In Memory Plaque Project Main Page 

In Memory Plaque Project Donor Recognitions & Dedications

American Battle Monuments Commission 

National Park Service Vietnam Veterans Memorial Link

National Park Service In Memory Plaque Link