The annual Memorial Day Observance at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial will commemorate eight additions and nine changes to The Wall and honor all members of America’s armed forces who have made the ultimate sacrifice on May 30 in Washington, D.C. The event is free and open to the public.
Capt. Dale A. Dye, USMC (Ret.), a decorated Vietnam veteran, will deliver the keynote remarks. Dye is an 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 Maj. Gen. 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 the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund.
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 this month, 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.
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 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, Colorado; Oct. 9, 1950 – Sept. 6, 2011
- Michael G. Frey; PFC, U.S. Army; Florissant, Missouri; Oct. 21, 1949 – Sept. 15, 2014
- Chester A. Lederhouse Jr.; LCPL, U.S. Marine Corps; Ransomville, New York; 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, North Carolina; Dec 19, 1936 – March 23, 1972
- Lee A. Rawn; PFC, U.S. Marine Corps; Lake Worth, Florida; May 4, 1946 – April 24, 1967
- Jimmy L. Smith; SP5, U.S. Army; Wasco, Illinois; Sept. 30, 1948 – May 24, 2014
- John D. Stenhouse; LCPL, U.S. Marine Corps; Spokane, Washington; April 13, 1949 – Aug. 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, Washington; Panel 28E, Row 59
- Kenneth L. Cunningham; SSGT, USA; Ellery, Illinois; Panel 17W, Row 33
- Rodney L. Griffin; SGT, USA; Centralia, Missouri; Panel 11W, Row 85
- Billy D. Hill; SFC, USA; Fallon, Nevada; Panel 35E, Row 6
- James W. Holt; MSGT, USA; Hot Springs, Arkansas; Panel 37E, Row 84
- Edwin E. Morgan; CMSGT, USAF; Salisbury, North Carolina; Panel 6E, Row 4
- Bunyan D. Price Jr.; SSGT, USA; Belmont, North Carolina; Panel 11W, Row 87
- Dale W. Richardson; MAJ, USA; Cashton, Wisconsin; Panel 11W, Row 87
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