‘Proud to call him dad’: Son to honor father who lost battle with PTSD

by VVMF

  “I only have a few memories of my dad because I was only 5 years old when he took his life.”   David Allen Freier knows very little about his father of… Continue reading →

The Army photographer behind the harrowing images of ‘Marines and Tet’

by VVMF

John Olson was 19 years old when he set foot in Vietnam as a U.S. Army combat photographer for Stars and Stripes. Over the course of his time in-country, Olson covered the Tet… Continue reading →

They Served Together: Brother honored after losing battle to Agent Orange-related cancer

by VVMF

Herman Downs was born in Akron, Ohio on September 25, 1947. A graduate of Akron Garfield High School, he was the third of five children. Upon graduation, Herman followed in his older brother’s… Continue reading →

Commemorating 35 Years of Healing: A Look Back

by VVMF

A LOOK BACK AT 2017 Because of you, VVMF is able to carry out its mission to honor and preserve the legacy of service in America and educate all generations about the impact… Continue reading →

Nurse given chance to honor patient who lost his life in Vietnam

by VVMF

Last week VVMF hosted the Reading of The Names for The Wall’s 35th Anniversary. All 58,318 names on The Wall were read by volunteers, fellow veterans, and family members. Each name took on… Continue reading →

Why I Read: Engaged to Be Married, A Future Lost

by VVMF

Joyce Washburn met Dennis “Denny” Lobbezoo in a high school history class in Grand Rapids in 1966. They would do their homework together. He worked at the bowling alley and she would just… Continue reading →

Why I Read: For My Fallen Buddies Who Are “Always On My Mind”

by VVMF

James Kiley has come to Washington, D.C. to read the names of the men who served with him in the Vietnam War but did not return. Participating in this year’s Reading of the… Continue reading →

Why I Read: A father MIA and a family changed forever

by VVMF

November 7 is the first day of the Reading of the Names, part of The Wall’s 35th Anniversary Commemoration. The 58,318 names inscribed on the memorial will be read aloud. Chief Master Sergeant… Continue reading →

Reading the names of the fallen and the promise to never forget

by VVMF

  U.S. Navy pilot Joseph P. Dunn was declared missing in action when his unarmed A-1 Skyraider was shot down over the South China Sea on February 14, 1968. He was a loving husband and… Continue reading →

Still a hero 50 years later: 1st Lt. Robert S. Byrnes

by VVMF

U.S. Army 1st Lt. Robert S. Byrnes was killed in action on Feb. 9, 1968, during the Tet Offensive of the Vietnam War. One month prior, on January 24, 1968, Robert was married… Continue reading →