For Immediate Release
April 19, 2005

Contact: JoAnn Mangione
202-393-0090 ext.109

JAN SCRUGGS TO LEAD DELEGATION OF VETERANS AND EDUCATORS TO VIETNAM COINCIDING WITH THE 30TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE END OF THE WAR
Renowned Combat Journalist Joe Galloway Joins Scruggs To Host This Historic Trip
April 22-May 1, 2005

Washington, DC — Jan Scruggs, founder and president of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, and Joe Galloway, a Vietnam War journalist and author of the book-turned-movie, We Were Soldiers Once… and Young will lead a delegation to Vietnam from April 22 through May 1 culminating with a visit to Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon) on the 30th Anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War.

The delegates come from around the country with reasons for making the trip as varied as their backgrounds.  Some are Vietnam veterans, making the emotional journey back to a country they knew as young soldiers. Some are teachers who want first hand knowledge of today’s Vietnam to supplement their lessons about the war; and a woman who wants to better understand what haunted her ex-husband for so many years.

While in Vietnam the group will meet with Vietnam officials and representatives of organizations such as the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command, whose work is to identify Americans still unaccounted for as a result of the war.  The delegation will also attend a dinner hosted by U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam, Michael Marine.  Other stops include historic sites such as the Hoa Lu Prison, known by American troops as the ‘Hanoi Hilton;’ the Forbidden City inside the Citadel, the area of the Tet Offensive; the demilitarized zone; the famous China Beach; and the city of Da Nang.  The group will observe operation of the Memorial Fund’s humanitarian effort, Project RENEW™, a land-mine awareness and removal program in Quang Tri Province.

Scruggs has visited Vietnam numerous times since his 1969-70 tour with the U.S. Army.  A Purple Heart recipient with decorations for gallantry, he is well-versed in the history and culture of Vietnam and its economic growth since the war.  Galloway served four tours as a war correspondent in Vietnam, in addition to covering many other conflicts. Today, he is the senior military correspondent for Knight Ridder Newspapers.

Note to producers/editors: As you consider your coverage of the 30th Anniversary of the end of the war, Jan Scruggs and members of the delegation will be available for interviews in Vietnam.  Vietnam is eleven hours ahead of the U.S.  To coordinate an interview, please contact JoAnn Mangione at 202-393-0090 or 202-302-1508.

Established in 1979, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund is the non-profit organization authorized by Congress to build the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, DC.  Today, through a series of outreach programs, it is dedicated to preserving the legacy of The Wall; promoting healing; educating about the impact of the Vietnam War; and is building the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Center, an underground educational facility, near The Wall.

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