Nation's Only Federally-Funded Vietnam War Memorial To Be Dedicated Veterans Day 2012

ARLINGTON, Va., Oct. 30, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- What:  This year's Veterans Day Ceremony at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific will include the dedication of a new Vietnam War Pavilion at the Honolulu Memorial.  The new Pavilion will complement the Honolulu Memorial's Courts of the Missing of the Vietnam War, making up the only memorial to veterans of the Vietnam War built solely with federal funds.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120905/DC68906LOGO-b)

When and Where: 10 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 11, at the Honolulu Memorial.  This American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) memorial is located within the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, Hawaii.  Media can set up equipment starting at 8:00 a.m. and must be in place no later than 9:30 a.m.

Why:  To honor the service and sacrifice of American veterans, especially those of the Vietnam War. 

Who: Keynote Speaker – U.S. Senator Daniel Akaka of Hawaii
Distinguished Speaker – ABMC Secretary Max Cleland, former U.S. senator from Georgia

Contact Information: Media interested in covering the ceremony can contact ABMC at 703-696-6789 or [email protected]. After Nov. 1, please contact the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific at 808-532-3720. 

Background: Located on the grounds of the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, the Honolulu Memorial was established by the American Battle Monuments Commission to honor the sacrifices and achievements of American armed forces in the Pacific during World War II and the Korean War.  It includes names of 18,096 individuals missing in action or lost at sea from World War II and the names of 8,200 individuals listed as missing from Korea.  The memorial grew in 1980 to include the missing of the Vietnam War.  As part of the memorial, there are large mosaic maps explaining the major military campaigns in the Pacific during World War II and Korea.  This year, two mosaic maps will be added to complete the memorial and help tell the story of those Americans who served in Vietnam. 

Constructed by The Armbruster Company of Glenview, Ill., the two mosaic maps show the overall theater of the Vietnam War and the sites of major battles fought during the conflict.  At a cost of $523,000, the mosaic maps are unique works of art that are vibrant in colors keeping in tradition with the World War II and Korean War maps at the memorial.  The method used to produce the new mosaics utilize a variety of cements, pigments, ground glass and sand to replicate the mosaic maps constructed in the 1960s.   Conceptual art was designed by Mrs. Mary Jacobs of Glenelg, Md., who also created the artwork for the original World War II and Korean War mosaics at the memorial.

The maps will be housed in one of two elegant pavilions being constructed from Travertine stone quarried from Idaho.  The Honolulu District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is managing the $4.973 million construction project for ABMC.  The pavilions are being built by the Innovative-Mira Joint Venture, Honolulu.  The project architects are Fung and Associates Inc., also of Honolulu.

The second new pavilion will house porcelain panels depicting ABMC commemorative sites in the Pacific and providing an orientation to the Honolulu Memorial.  The panels were designed by Gallagher & Associates of Silver Spring, Md. and are being fabricated by Winsor Fireform of Tumwater, Wash. 

About the American Battle Monuments Commission:

Established by Congress in 1923, the American Battle Monuments Commission commemorates the service, achievements and sacrifice of U.S. armed forces. ABMC administers 24 overseas military cemeteries, and 25 memorials, monuments and markers.  For more information visit www.abmc.gov. 

SOURCE American Battle Monuments Commission