Participate in the Reading of the Names in Your Community
For nearly a century, November 11 has been a day to honor veterans. In 1919, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed the day the first observance of what was then Armistice Day. He had this to say: “To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of nations.”
This year, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund has asked communities nationwide to read names in their own towns, record it and share the videos. It will be national thank you and welcome home to all of our Vietnam veterans. Schools, universities, museums, veterans groups, sports teams and towns are joining in this effort to create a national tribute to our Vietnam veterans. Anyone can participate and send the videos to VVMF. The videos will be posted on our website and social media pages.
Supporters are reading names from The Wall, but VVMF also expanded the project to include names of those veterans who died of Vietnam related causes, like Agent Orange, but do not meet DoD’s requirements for inclusion on The Wall.
Send your videos to vvmf_n6z3@sendtodropbox.com
In November, many will gather at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial for the official Reading of the Names event. This is only done on major anniversaries of The Wall and this will be only the 5th time this has been done. There are currently 58,282 names on The Wall. The reading will begin Nov. 7 and last for four days leading up to Veterans Day.
This November marks the 30th anniversary of The Wall and the Department of Defense launched its 50th commemoration
Veterans Day at The Wall 2007. Photo by Bill Petros.
of the Vietnam War at The Wall on Memorial Day.
We are losing Vietnam veterans at an alarmingly fast rate. Each day we lose about 390 to illness and age. Their stories are in danger of being lost forever if we don’t take action now to ensure they become a part of our collective national memory. Millions visit the Vietnam Veterans Memorial each year. Tens of thousands gave their lives during the many years of conflict and their names are etched into the black granite. But they are more than names and we must do our part to remember them.
If you have any questions or would like to request a list of names to read, contact us at comms@vvmf.org.
