Memorial Day ceremony at The Wall to commemorate eight additions to The Wall and honor all members of America's Armed Forces who have made the ultimate sacrifice

WASHINGTON, May 2, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- On Monday, May 30 at 1 p.m., the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund (VVMF) and the National Park Service (NPS) will host the annual Memorial Day Observance at The Wall, during which changes to The Wall will be commemorated and all members of America's armed forces who have made the ultimate sacrifice will be honored. The event is free and open to the public.

Captain Dale A. Dye, USMC (Ret.), a decorated Vietnam veteran, will deliver the keynote remarks. Dye is an American actor, technical advisor, radio personality and writer. His company, Warriors Inc., is the top technical advisor to Hollywood with work on Forrest Gump, Platoon, Saving Private Ryan, Tigerland, The Thin Red Line, and HBO's Band of Brothers and The Pacific.

The emcee for the ceremony will be Major General Mike Nardotti, USA (Ret.), a decorated combat veteran, who served more than 28 years on active duty as a soldier and a lawyer. Nardotti currently serves on the Board of Directors for VVMF.

The 2016 Memorial Day Observance at The Wall is generously sponsored by the Xerox Foundation, J.P. Morgan Chase & Company, and TriWest Healthcare Alliance.

Each spring, VVMF works with the Department of Defense to make sure The Wall is accurate. Names are added for those service members who have met the Department of Defense criteria for addition to The Wall, having sustained wounds in Vietnam from which they eventually perished. Those service members who in the last year were returned or accounted for will have their statuses changed from MIA to KIA.

The names of eight American service members will be engraved on the black granite walls of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial over the next week, and the status designations will be changed for nine others whose names are already on The Wall. These changes will bring the total number of names on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial to 58,315 men and women who were killed or who remain missing in action.

Weather permitting, work to inscribe the names and change designations will be complete this week. When names are added, the highly technical procedure requires meticulous work to match the stroke and depth of the surrounding names to within 1/1,000 of an inch. The physical work of adding the names and changing designations will be performed by James Lee of the Colorado-based company, Engrave Write.

The Department of Defense sets the criteria for and makes decisions about whose names are eligible for inscription on The Wall. VVMF pays for the name additions and status changes, and works with the National Park Service to ensure long-term preservation and maintenance of The Wall.

These eight service members will join 58,307 others who lost their lives or remain missing in action as a result of combat in Vietnam:

Jeffrey R. Barber
LCPL, U.S. Marine Corps
Denver, Co.
Oct. 9, 1950 – Sept. 6, 2011

Michael G. Frey
PFC, U.S. Army
Florissant, Mo.
Oct. 21, 1949 – Sept. 15, 2014

Chester A. Lederhouse Jr.
LCPL, U.S. Marine Corps
Ransomville, NY
Jan. 19, 1947 – July 13, 1966

James S. McGough
SP4, U.S. Army
Fort Dodge, Iowa
Feb. 23, 1951 – Jan 3, 2014

Leonard E. Outlaw Sr.
ENC, U.S. Coast Guard
Grandy, N.C.
Dec 19, 1936 – March 23, 1972

Lee A. Rawn
PFC, U.S. Marine Corps
Lake Worth, Fla.
May 4, 1946 – April 24, 1967

Jimmy L. Smith
SP5, U.S. Army
Wasco, Ill.
Sept. 30, 1948 – May 24, 2014

John D. Stenhouse
LCPL, U.S. Marine Corps
Spokane, Wash.
April 13, 1949 – August 15, 2012

Beside each name on The Wall is a symbol designating status. The diamond symbol denotes confirmed death. The cross represents missing in action. When a service member's remains are returned or accounted for, the diamond is superimposed over the cross.

These nine service members will have their status changed from MIA to KIA:

• Donald G. Carr; MAJ, USA; San Antonio, Texas; Panel 3W, Row 101
• Richard C. Clark; LT, USN; Tacoma, Wash.; Panel 28E, Row 59
• Kenneth L. Cunningham; SSGT, USA; Ellery, Ill.; Panel 17W, Row 33
• Rodney L. Griffin; SGT, USA; Centralia, Mo.; Panel 11W, Row 85
• Billy D. Hill; SFC, USA; Fallon, Nev.; Panel 35E, Row 6
• James W. Holt; MSGT, USA; Hot Springs, Ark.; Panel 37E, Row 84
• Edwin E. Morgan; CMSGT, USAF; Salisbury, N.C.; Panel 6E, Row 4
• Bunyan D. Price Jr.; SSGT, USA; Belmont, NC; Panel 11W, Row 87
• Dale W. Richardson; MAJ, USA; Cashton, Wis.; Panel 11W, Row 87

About the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund (VVMF) is the nonprofit organization that founded the Vietnam Veterans Memorial (The Wall) in Washington, D.C. in 1982. VVMF continues to lead the way in paying tribute to our nation's Vietnam veterans and their families. VVMF's mission is to honor and preserve the legacy of service in America and educate all generations about the impact of the Vietnam War and era.

VVMF is in the fundraising stages to build the Education Center at The Wall. The Center will be an interactive learning facility on the National Mall where our military heroes' stories and sacrifice will never be forgotten. The Education Center will feature the faces and stories of the more than 58,000 men and women on The Wall and honor America's Legacy of Service, including those serving in our nation's armed forces today. Time Warner is the Lead Gift Benefactor in the campaign to build the Education Center at The Wall. To learn more about VVMF and the Education Center at The Wall, visit www.vvmf.org or call 866-990-WALL.

Contact:  Heidi Zimmerman
Phone: 202-330-0090 X118
[email protected]

SOURCE Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund