Thousands of
Vietnam veterans have died of complications from exposure to the toxic
herbicide Agent Orange since the war ended.
The Vietnam
Veterans Memorial Fund (VVMF) "In Memory" program honors those
veterans and others who died since returning home from the war but are not
eligible for inscription on the Vietnam War Memorial Wall.
Each year, the
VVMF hosts an "In Memory" ceremony for those veterans, inducting them
into the program and reading their names on the East Knoll of the Vietnam
Veterans Memorial.
This year, 534
veterans whose lives were cut short because of their service in Vietnam will be
honored. To see a list of their names, click here. More than 400 of those 534
honored this year died because of Agent Orange exposure.
“There are more than 58,000 names on the
Vietnam Veterans Memorial; names of men and women who died on the battlefield
of the Vietnam War. Those men and women are honored on a daily basis by
everyone who sees The Wall. There are many thousands more who died as a result
of the Vietnam War, but their deaths do not fit the Department of Defense
criteria for inclusion on The Wall," said Jim Knotts, president, and CEO
of VVMF.
"VVMF’s
'In Memory' program honors those veterans, many of whom came home to fight a whole
new battle and never fully recovered either physically or emotionally. It is
our duty to make sure their sacrifice is never forgotten."
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