ANNUAL VETERANS DAY OBSERVANCE AT T H E WA L L
NOVEMBER 11, 2011
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ANNUAL VETERANS DAY OBSERVANCE AT T H E WA L L
Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Constitution Gardens, Washington, DC Friday, November 11, 2011 – 1:00 p.m.
Master of Ceremonies
Jan C. Scruggs Founder and President, Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund
Presentation of Colors
Navy Color Guard Military District of Washington
National Anthem
Braiden Sunshine
members of the Armed Forces who sacrificed their lives in the
Pledge of Allegiance
Sgt. Andrew Piskator, USMC
service and protection of the United States.
Retiring the Colors
Navy Color Guard Military District of Washington
Invocation Welcome
CH (LTC) James D. Gray Wounded Warrior Chaplain & AAOG Military District of Washington Robert A. Vogel, Superintendent National Mall and Memorial Parks, National Park Service
Introductory Remarks
Jan C. Scruggs
VETERANS DAY was first established by President Woodrow Wilson on November 11th, 1919. Originally “Armistice Day,” it honored
On May 13th, 1938, President Calvin Coolidge made November 11th a legal holiday that would honor these sacrifices perennially. Nearly twenty years later, in recognition of both living and fallen servicemembers, this holiday was dedicated as Veterans Day.
Since then, Veterans Day has become an event by which ordinary Americans express their gratitude to the men and women who have relinquished their hopes, dreams and futures.
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Remarks Dr. Libby O’Connell Chief Historian & SVP Corporate Outreach, HISTORY® Keynote Address
Joseph L. Galloway
Introductory Remarks
Dr. Marsha Guenzler-Stevens VP, Vietnam Women’s Memorial Foundation
Remarks
Col. Sharon Bystran, USA, (Ret.)
“Amazing Grace”
Chris Jackson, Bagpiper
Taps
Staff Sergeant Michael E. Warnick USMC Band
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REMEMBRANCES
For those deeply impacted by the costs of the Vietnam War, there remains a deep, lingering yearning for solace, peace, and healing. Often, this process can begin through the acknowledgement of pain and the honoring of sacrifice that comes from remembering the past and paying tribute to its legacy.
RICHARD L. SPARKS Honored on Panel 43W, Row 43 I raised our daughter, and you would be so proud of her. She is teaching DD high school students in Arizona now. I miss you with all my heart and have never stopped loving you. Instead of receiving anniversary flowers from you on Sunday, I will be decorating your grave with flowers as I have for almost 43 years. I will always love you. I hope you are having a great reunion with your father, my father, and our grandson Kyle. I will be joining you one day. Posted by: Karen Walker-Sparks (Wife)
WALTER BUSILL TULLY, JR. Honored on Panel 30W, Row 17 My father (LtC Thomas E. Duffy - retired/deceased) taught ROTC with Major Tully at Ohio State University. I was twelve years old at the time. As military families, we socialized together, and I remember him and his beautiful wife, Connie, and their baby daughter. He was so well liked and I remember my Dad saying that Major Tully would have gone very far in his career with the Army. He was the first person I knew who died in the Vietnam War and, for some reason, I have always carried in my heart a memory of him. Such a loss, such a great man and a good guy, such pain for his family. God Bless you Major Tully and thank you so much for your service and sacrafices for your country. I will never forget you. Posted by: Jennifer Duffy (Friend)
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WILLIAM EARL STONE
ROBERT ARNOLD TILLQUIST
Honored on Panel 40W, Row 55 Hi Bill – I just wanted to let you know that I have been thinking about you today – heck, I think about you most everyday. I am so proud of your service to our country and for your sacrifice so that your platoon might live. I miss you so much though! I miss your teasing me. I have always wondered if you meant what you said to me. Wished we could have gone on that date when you were to return. Just wish we could have had a chance.
Honored on Panel 3E, Row 20 I first met Robert when I was about 14 years old back in Hamden, Connecticut. He and his family had just moved to our neighborhood. He was slight of built, always unkempt, and frankly a little goofy. Never saw the kid without a grin or a sheepish smile, or spinning some bizarre story. Somehow though, you always felt he was always just a step ahead of you, but never told you about it. Robert Arnold Tillquist was also a Combat medic who was killed in Plei Me Viet Nam on Nov 4, 1965 at age 23. Robert’s platoon was taken under ambush by an enemy machine gun. Three men immediately went down from the intense firing. Disregarding his own safety, Robert pulled two men to safety thus saving their lives. He reached the third man and used his own body as a shield to protect him and he himself was mortally wounded. Robert received the Distinguished Service Cross and several other medals for his heroism. He truly deserves the Congressional Medal of Honor for his action, but the military bureaucracy has stood in the way. Over the past several years Robert’s sister Jean Risley, has been battling the bureaucracy to obtain for Robert the nation’s highest honor. I am also a veteran having proudly served with the 7th Infantry Div. and the 1st Armored Div. I was a peacetime soldier, however, there is no comparison to the deeds of these two heroic men. I would be honored to stand in their shadow. I am truly honored that I knew them. But for a short period of time... LEST WE FORGET.
Posted by: CG (Friend)
MERRITT ADAMS Honored on Panel 7W, Row 51 Dear Merritt, I wanted to take the opportunity to just thank you for everything you did for our country and the people during the war. Your dedication to this country is evident and you are greatly respected. I don’t know much about you, but you’re a hero to our generation and generations to come. Thank you and may you rest in peace. Posted by: Ashley Kiefer
JOHN KIM VOGELSANG Honored on Panel 23W, Row 94 My father found out he was drafted on the same day that he found out my mother was pregnant with me. His greatest desire was to come home and raise a big family with the wife he adored. But that did not happen. He was killed on June 6th, 1969, 10 days before I was born. Although I never had a chance to meet him, he will always be in my heart. He lives on in me and in all of the people who are kind enough to share their memories of him with me. Posted by: Kim Vogelsang Gilligan (Daughter)
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Posted by: Dave Kolodecik (Friend)
GEORGE SALVATORE YOHONNSON Honored on Panel 9E, Row 19 I just found out about Georges tragic death today. Four decades later. I played football with him and friends on Saturdays, we were school classmates. I will always remember what he gave to us. I served in 67-69 but was stationed in Germany. God bless. Posted by: Richard Heinrichs (High school classmate)
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HISTORY® joins The
Education Center’s
National Call for Photos HISTORY® is proud to partner with VVMF on its Call for Photos initiative, a nationwide campaign to collect a photograph for each of the 58,272 men and women whose names are inscribed on The Wall. Collected photographs will be displayed in a larger-than-life Wall of Photos exhibit at the future Education Center at The Wall. The Education Center will help us tell their stories as well – and not just “war stories,” but glimpses of the lives they had outside of the service: What was important to them? What were their passions? Who were their friends? What were their future plans? To support the campaign, HISTORY® hosted a series of Call for Photos events in New York City, Philadelphia, Atlanta, and Chicago this fall with VVMF to honor and preserve the legacy of Vietnam veterans and those who made the ultimate sacrifice. At these events, honored guests including NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Philadelphia Mayor Michael A. Nutter, Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed, General Barry McCaffrey, National VVA President John Rowan, NYPD Commissioner Raymond Kelly, FDNY Commissioner Salvatore Cassano, Medal of Honor recipient Paul Bucha, and U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson (R-GA), called on communities, schools, veterans groups, families, and individuals to help advance the collection of the more than 35,000 photos still needed to complete the Wall of Photos. Anyone with a photo of a service member listed on The Wall is urged to scan and submit their photo online at www.vvmf.org/photos.
Put a face with
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The photos and stories on these pages are examples of the information that will be available to visitors in the Education Center, and it shows the types of stories and remembrances VVMF is collecting. If you have a photo or story of someone whose name is on The Wall that you can share, please visit www.buildthecenter.org or call 1-866-990-WALL to learn how you can help. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund built The Wall in 1982 and, since then, the Memorial has become a global icon, drawing millions of visitors from around the world. The Education Center at The Wall, which will prove to be an equally powerful addition to the National Mall, was authorized unanimously
The Vietnam Veterans Memorial was created so we would not forget those who served and sacrificed in the Vietnam War. The Education Center at The Wall will help us remember the people behind those names.
by Congress in 2003 and will be a living, interactive learning facility with the unique ability to move both forward and backward through time.
Benefiting from the talents of an award-winning exhibit designer, the Education Center will: • Teach the values and tell the stories of those who served. These stories are being col-
• Showcase the remembrances and moving tributes left at The Wall. A program is under-
lected through our partnerships with the Library of Congress, the National Association
way, funded by VVMF, to work with the National Park Service to index, digitize and
of Counties, state government cabinet secretaries and education commissioners, numer-
highlight some of the more than 150,000 powerful remembrances that have been left at
ous media partners and hundreds of teachers around the country.
The Wall, using them to tell the story of the Vietnam War era and those who served.
• Display photographs of those who made the ultimate sacrifice in the Vietnam War. Pho-
• Showcase the rich legacy of service embodied by Americans, from Lexington and Con-
tos are being collected nationwide: by high school and middle school students across the
cord through today’s conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. This content is being collected
country as part of VVMF’s Hometown Heroes Service Learning Project; from visitors
through our partnerships with the History Channel, Time Warner and Getty Images.
to VVMF’s half-scale traveling Wall, The Wall That Heals; and through veteran’s groups, Lions Clubs, Rotary Clubs and other community organizations.
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• Highlight the sacrifices and commitment of America’s allies and the growth of those bonds through time.
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The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund and the National Park Service have co-sponsored observances on Memorial Day and Veterans Day at The Wall every year since its dedication in 1982.
Both organizations would like to thank: All our dedicated volunteers; Paul Masi and the Veterans Advisory Board for the Verizon Corporation for providing the American and POW/MIA flags and for its support; Major General Mike Conrad for coordination of the color guards from Fort Hood’s 1st Cavalry Division and Ft. Bragg’s 82nd Airborne Division; bagpiper Christopher Jackson.
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