Vietnam Pavilions at the Honolulu Memorial to be Dedicated November 11

ARLINGTON, Va., Sept. 5, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- To further honor the sacrifice of the 2,504 members of the U.S. armed forces missing in action from the Vietnam War memorialized at the Honolulu Memorial, the American Battle Monuments Commission, in coordination with the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, will dedicate two new pavilions and mosaic maps on Veteran's Day, Sunday, November 11, at 10 a.m. Hawaiian time.

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"This is the only federal memorial to the Vietnam War built solely with federal dollars," said ABMC Secretary Max Cleland.  "This is the perfect time to dedicate these maps as we enter the 50^th anniversary of the Vietnam War."

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 individual Americans who served in Vietnam. 

Constructed by The Armbruster Company of Glenview, Ill., the two 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.  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. 

"This was a tremendous federal effort involving several agencies," said Cleland.  "We are working with the Corps of Engineers to add new pavilions to an ABMC memorial located within a National Cemetery Administration cemetery of the Department of Veterans Affairs.  The maps and text were reviewed and vetted by the military service historians and the architecture was reviewed and approved by the National Commission of Fine Arts—this is a true joint effort." 

The design and planning phase of this project began in June 2009 and actual construction was started this past May. 

Media availability with Secretary Max Cleland is tentatively scheduled for Saturday, November 10, at 1 p.m. at the Honolulu Memorial.

Media interested in attending the media availability, the dedication ceremony or looking for additional information can contact ABMC at 703-696-6789 or [email protected].   Please R.S.V.P with ABMC for the media availability and ceremony by Nov. 5.

For information on the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, please contact Nadine Siak at 808-532-3720.

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