The Service Branch Challenge

by
Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund



Dear Supporter:

I was sitting down with highly decorated Vietnam veteran and retired Army General Barry McCaffrey to discuss the Education Center at The Wall campaign. During our conversation, a friendly challenge came up and it’s something I wanted to share with you:

“Army supporters are the ones who are going to raise the most funds and get this Education Center built. My goal is to encourage those who love the U.S. Army to join me and get actively involved. And I challenge the leaders of the other branches to step up and try to catch us.”

In response, we decided to launch a Service Branch Challenge campaign to actively reach out to veterans, active-duty service members and others with a direct appeal to personal loyalties, connections and pride in a particular branch of military service.

General McCaffrey’s goal is pretty clear. How will you answer his challenge?

Let me tell you how some people are answering this challenge and setting their own.

  • The U.S. Military Academy Class of 53′ wanted to raise $1,000 for each of the 13 classmates whose names are on The Wall. In less than two weeks, they met their goal, But instead of stopping, they kept on going…and are now nearly double their original goal.
  • The 349th Military Airlift Wing challenged each of its members to make a $100 gift to honor those who served in the Air Force during Vietnam.
  • Danielle Sydorenko signed up to be an advocate and set a goal of raising $1,111 from family in friends in memory of her father, USMC Cpl. Daniel J. Clevenger. As of today, she is only $182 short of her goal.

I hope you will accept this challenge and set your own goal.

My goal is pretty straightforward: to honor those who served our country by building the Education Center at The Wall.

I want future generations to see the faces and hear the stories of those who served, those who sacrificed and those who supported our service men and women. But in order for the Education Center to become a reality, we need your support.

We’ve got $40 million left to raise. I know that sounds like an overwhelming amount, but let me tell you, it isn’t. There were nearly 9,000,000 of us who served in the military during the Vietnam War.  A $5 donation in honor of everyone who wore the uniform during that time would finish the job.

Veterans, veterans supporters, family members, loved ones and millions of others who simply felt that serving our country is something to be honored, built The Wall back in 1982. It’s the same type of support that will build the Education Center.

I know you’re one of those people, and I hope you’ll share this with others just like you.

Sincerely,

Jan C. Scruggs
Founder and President

P.S.  If you’d like to make a donation right now to the branch of service you support, simply click on the branch seal below.

     ARMY AIR FORCE MARINE CORPS       NAVY COAST GUARD

 
Established in 1979, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund is dedicated to preserving the legacy of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., and promoting healing and educating about the impact of the Vietnam War. Authorized by Congress, its most recent initiative is building The Education Center at The Wall, an underground facility near the Memorial that is designed to add faces to all the names on The Wall and tell their stories to future generations. Other Memorial Fund initiatives include educational programs for students and teachers, and a traveling Wall replica.
Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund | 2600 Virginia Avenue, NW Suite 104 | Washington, D.C. 20037
Category : Jan Scruggs, Vietnam Veterans
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