Ten feet tall at its highest point, its jet-black granite
polished to a mirror shine, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial honors service
members who lost their lives or went missing during the years long conflict in
Southeast Asia.
But thousands of names are missing: those of veterans who
made it home and later died of physical wounds and other causes related to
their service.
Now those who fought for their country but did not die in
combat are being recognized as part of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund’s In Memory
Honor Roll. The program memorializes those who died as a result of their
service, including from PTSD-related suicide and complications from exposure to
the toxic herbicide Agent Orange. This year, 534 men are being added to the
list.
“There are so many veterans left with the effects of their
service for a lifetime and are just overlooked. They deserve to be
acknowledged,” said Joy Lamboy of Walnut Creek, whose father, Ronald Lamboy, is
being honored this year. He died last year of cirrhosis related to Agent Orange
exposure.
Photos of the veterans on the Honor Roll will be displayed
alongside The Wall That Heals, the VVMF’s traveling replica of the Vietnam
Veterans Memorial Wall, and the vets will have their own page on the program’s
website. They also will be memorialized during a ceremony at the memorial in
Washington, D.C., on June 15.
Every year on Memorial Day, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial
Fund brings together thousands of family members, and every name on the list is
read. The application for family members is simple and can be found on the VVMF
website.
“This is a
recognition of people’s service, to let people know they’re important, that
they served their country,” said Carol Taylor of San Francisco, whose husband,
Thomas Taylor, died last year after a battle with prostate cancer related to
exposure to Agent Orange. He also will be added to the Honor Roll this year.
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