The Vietnam Veterans Memorial is one of the most visited and well-known sites in Washington. D.C., and includes not just the Wall, but also the Three Servicemen statue, the Vietnam Women's Memorial, the flagpole and the In Memory plaque. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund (VVMF), the nonprofit organization that built the Wall, manages the long-term care and preservation of the site.
The VVMF believes all those who served in Vietnam should be honored and recognized for their service, but what isn't as well known is how the Memorial Fund accomplishes this mission. You can be involved in this effort by nominating a deserving Vietnam veteran through one of the two programs below.
The Service Beyond Service Award recognizes the post-military efforts of outstanding living Vietnam veterans who contribute to their community, state and nation. After returning home from Vietnam, they continued to serve through volunteerism, advocacy, professional distinction, public service and philanthropy. The VVMF wants to collect the stories of their Vietnam service and award them for their efforts beyond their time there.
Awardees will receive a Service Beyond Service Award certificate from the VVMF, be listed with the other award recipients on the VVMF website, have a tribute page in the Registry of Vietnam and Era Veterans, with a special recognition banner, and be pre=registered for the VVMF's In Memory Honor Roll. www.vvmf.org/Service-Beyond-Service-Award
The In Memory Program enables the families and friends of veterans who served in Vietnam, returned home but have since passed away the opportunity to have them be forever memorialized. They become a part of the In Memory Honor Roll and will have their own web page on the VVMF's website. The Memorial Fund's mobile exhibit, The Wall That Heals, will also include the digital photos of all In Memory honorees from the state where the exhibit is on display. www.vvmf.org/In-Memory-Program
The online applications for these programs can be found through the links above, and all questions can be answered by calling 202-393-0090.
