Individuals Behind The Wall
Jan C. Scruggs
Founder and President, Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund
In 1979, Jan C. Scruggs conceived the idea of building the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. Scruggs, a wounded and decorated Vietnam veteran who served in the 199th Light Infantry Brigade of the U.S. Army, launched the effort with $2,800 of his own money and gradually gained the support of other Vietnam veterans, politicians and thousands of Americans.
As founder and president of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, the nonprofit organization established to build the Memorial, Scruggs headed up the effort that raised $8.4 million and saw the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, commonly called The Wall, completed in just two years.
After the completion of the Memorial, Scruggs along with author Joel L. Swerdlow put to paper To Heal a Nation—the moving story of Scruggs’ efforts to build The Wall. In May 1988, it became an “NBC Movie of the Week.”
Currently, Scruggs is a member of the Selective Service Appeals Board, a board member of the National Veterans Legal Services Project and special assistant to the chairman of the Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund. He is a motivational speaker, sharing his message of “Courage is Life’s Great Equalizer” with audiences ranging from AT&T and IBM to the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States and the Million Dollar Roundtable.
Scruggs has appeared on 60 Minutes, Nightline, Good Morning America and The Today Show as well as C-SPAN, CNN and FOX. He has written opinion articles for The Washington Post, USA Today, The New York Times, The Washington Times and other national and regional publications.
Scruggs is a native of the Washington, D.C. area, having grown up in Bowie, Md. He currently resides in Annapolis, Md. with his wife of 32 years, Becky. He received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from The American University in Washington, D.C., and his law degree from the University of Maryland in Baltimore.
General Michael Shannon Davison, USA (Ret.)
Settled disputes about Memorial design and offered a compromise
The late Gen. Michael Shannon Davison, USA (Ret.) was instrumental in settling the controversy surrounding the unconventional design for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial by offering a compromise to add a traditional element to the memorial site.
The recipient of many military awards and honors, including the Silver and Bronze Stars, Gen. Davison had a long military career. His active duty began before the Second World War upon his graduation from the United States Academy at West Point in 1939. He fought against the Germans in Italy and France, and was twice wounded in battle.
As commandant in chief of the Army Command and General Staff College, he prepared officers for duty in Vietnam. During the Vietnam War, as commander of the II Field Force, Gen. Davison undertook an invasion of Cambodia. In 1971, he became commander in chief of the U.S. Army in Europe. He retired from the Army in 1975.
Following his military service, Gen. Davison was president of the United Service Organizations and vice president of Joseph R. Loring and Associates, an architectural firm.
Gen. Davison died of congestive heart failure on September 7, 2006.
Robert W. Doubek
Former Executive Director, Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund
Robert W. Doubek served as the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund’s executive director and project director until the Memorial was completed in mid-1983. Currently, he manages international real estate for the U.S. State Department.
He founded American Friends of the Czech Republic (AFoCR) in 1995 and served as its president through the end of 1998. Under his leadership, AFoCR was instrumental in mobilizing public support for Czech admission to NATO. Prior to that, Doubek traveled extensively in Central and Eastern Europe, under USAID programs in real estate and housing. From 1983 to 1994, he directed projects for real estate development companies in the Washington metropolitan area.
Doubek served as an Air Force intelligence officer from 1967 to 1971, including a tour of duty in Vietnam from 1968 to1969.
Doubek obtained his Bachelor of Arts from the University of Illinois (Urbana) in 1966 and received a law degree from Georgetown University Law Center in 1974. He speaks Russian, German, French and Czech.
Maya Lin
Designer, Vietnam Veterans Memorial
Maya Lin was a senior at Yale University when her design for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial was unanimously selected from 1,421 entries. Once the design was unveiled, some veterans groups voiced their opposition, and Lin was caught in an often ugly debate.
After the memorial was built, Lin fought to regain her privacy and went on to work as a designer in an architecture firm. Currently, she is an architect and a sculptor and has been involved in designing private residences and eight public commissions, including two floors for the Museum of African Art. One of her more publicly known works is a memorial for the civil rights movement in Montgomery, Alabama, which was dedicated in 1989.
Lin was the subject of a 1995 documentary titled “Maya Lin: A Strong Clear Vision,” which won an Academy Award. Lin wrote a book, Boundaries, published in 2000.
Maya Lin was born in Athens, Ohio. She obtained a Bachelor of Arts in architecture from Yale University in 1981. She also earned a Master of Arts in architecture, also from Yale, in 1986.
The Hon. Charles McCurdy Mathias Jr. (R-Md.)
Former United States Senator
Sen. Charles McCurdy Mathias Jr. (R-Md.) was instrumental in getting the Vietnam Veterans Memorial built when, along with Sen. John Warner (R-Va.), he co-sponsored legislation to authorize three acres of parkland on the National Mall for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
Mathias’ military service started when he enlisted in the United States Navy as an apprentice seaman during World War II. He became an ensign and was on active duty until 1946. Later, he became a captain in the United States Naval Reserve.
His political career began as the assistant attorney general of Maryland. In 1959 he was elected to the Maryland House of Delegates. After one year, he was elected to the United States House of Representatives, where he served from 1961 to 1969. He was elected to the United States Senate in 1968 and served two terms.
A Frederick, Md. native, Mathias earned his bachelor’s degree from Haverford College and his law degree from the University of Maryland School of Law. He died on January 25, 2010 at the age of 87.
Brigadier General George B. Price, USA (Ret.)
Supporter of the Memorial and Special Advisor to Jan Scruggs
Brig. Gen. George B. Price, USA (Ret.) was among the earliest supporters of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, especially when opposition was growing to the black, angular design. Shortly after controversy arose, Gen. Price – an African American – began speaking publicly about the beauty of the color black, rather than equating black to the color of death.
Gen. Price’s distinguished military career spanned 27 years, during which he was awarded the Bronze Star, the Meritorious Service Medal, Commendation Medal and the Purple Heart.
In 1952, Gen. Price joined Company L, 179th Infantry Regiment in Korea. He was wounded in the Battle for Old Baldy. Following his recovery, he had several more assignments, among them: the Indiantown Gap Military Reservation in 1953, the 15th Ordnance Battalion in Europe in 1956 and 2nd Armored Division at Fort Hood in 1961. He also served as a staff officer and forces analyst for the Army.
Gen. Price was assigned to the Panama Canal Zone, where he became Deputy Chief of Staff for the U.S. Southern Command in 1970. He was later assigned to Germany, where he became Chief of Staff for the 8th Infantry Division until his promotion to Brigadier General. In 1976, he became the Chief of Staff for the First United States Army.
After his retirement from active duty, Gen. Price worked in the telecommunications and technical engineering industries, and as a consultant. Today, he is the agent and personal manager for his sister—the exceptional opera soprano Leontyne Price. He also serves as a special advisor to Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund founder and president Jan Scruggs.
Price is a native of Mississippi. He attended the Army War College and the Command and General Staff College. He obtained a Bachelor of Science from South Carolina State College and a master’s degree in college counseling from Shippensburg State College in Pennsylvania.
The Hon. John W. Warner (R-Va.)
United States Senator
Sen. John W. Warner (R-Va.), along with Sen. Charles Mathias (R-Md.), introduced legislation to authorize national parkland for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. He and his wife at the time, actress Elizabeth Taylor, were involved actively in fundraising for the Memorial.
Sen. Warner was elected to the Senate in 1978. During his time in office, Sen. Warner served on various committees, including chairman of the Armed Services Committee, member of the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs and the Select Committee on Intelligence. He retired from the Senate in January 2009.
Sen. Warner enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1945 and was on active duty until the summer of 1946, when he was honorably discharged as a petty officer 3rd class, electronic technician's mate. He began a second tour of active military duty in October 1950 during the Korean War, this time as an officer in the United States Marine Corps. Following his active service in Korea, he remained in the Marine Corps Reserve for 10 years, attaining the rank of Captain.
Sen. Warner was appointed as Under Secretary of the Navy in 1969. For five years, during the war in Vietnam, he served in the Department of the Navy and led the department as Secretary from 1972 to 1974.
Sen. Warner attended Washington and Lee University on the G.I. Bill and was awarded a Bachelor of Science degree in 1949. He entered the University of Virginia Law School. His schooling was interrupted by his military service in Korea, but he finished his law degree upon his return.
John P. “Jack” Wheeler III
Former Chairman, Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund
John P. “Jack” Wheeler III served as the original chairman of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund’s board of directors. A graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, he led VVMF’s multi-million dollar campaign to build The Wall.
Today, Wheeler serves as the special assistant to the Secretary of the Air Force in Washington, D.C. Prior to his assignment with the Air Force, Wheeler, an attorney and entrepreneur, led his own company specializing in organizational startups and turnarounds.
Wheeler’s military career, from which he retired in 1971, included serving as a staff officer in Vietnam, the Office of the Secretary of Defense and the Joint Staff. While on active duty, he wrote the Biological and Chemical Joint Munitions Effectiveness Manual, the first book of its kind, recommending the United States not use biological weapons. He was awarded the Joint Service Commendation Medal.
Among the highlights of his distinguished career are creating the Vietnam Veterans Leadership Program for President Ronald Reagan and the Earth Conservation Corps for President George H.W. Bush. He also was the first CEO of Mothers Against Drunk Driving and created and led the Vietnam Children’s Fund.
Wheeler graduated with distinction from West Point, received a juris doctorate degree from Yale Law School and an MBA from Harvard Business School.
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