For Immediate Release
June 14, 2005

Contact: Judy Keyserling
 202-393-0090

GENERAL COLIN L. POWELL ACCEPTS HONORARY CHAIRMANSHIP
OF CAMPAIGN TO BUILD VIETNAM VETERANS MEMORIAL CENTER
NEAR THE WALL IN WASHINGTON, DC

Washington, DC – Former Secretary of State and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Colin L. Powell, USA (Ret), has agreed to serve as Honorary Chairman of the national fundraising campaign to build the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Center, announced Jan C. Scruggs, founder and president of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund. 

The Memorial Center will be an educational experience serving a larger national purpose.  Working in synergy with the Vietnam Veterans Memorial it will symbolize service, sacrifice and patriotism.  Many visitors to The Wall today are younger than the Memorial and have little perspective of what the 58,249 names represent.  The Memorial Center will assure their legacy is preserved.

As Honorary Campaign Chairman, General Powell will serve as an ambassador for the Campaign To Build the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Center, lending his voice and leadership.  The Honorary Chairman is an integral member of the team helping to set the pace and strategy for the estimated $41.5 million Campaign.

“General Powell was one of the first to lend his support for the Memorial Center and has been an enthusiastic advocate of our effort to win legislative approval for its construction,” said Dr. Christos M. Cotsakos, chairman of the Campaign and co-chair of the Memorial Fund’s national Corporate Council.  “In addition to General Powell’s distinguished military and public service careers, his commitment to the youth of our nation will be a significant asset to our Campaign.”

“This is an important project of national significance which will enable our young people to gain a better understanding of the Memorial and its impact on our nation’s history,” said Powell.  “It is fitting that America should have such a place to reflect on stories of courage and heroism.  When it is completed, I am confident the Memorial Center will serve as a poignant reminder that the freedoms Americans enjoy are bought with a price.  I look forward to the day when young people from all walks of life will be able to experience first-hand the Memorial Center, raising their consciousness and understanding of values of previous generations of Americans, many of whom made the ultimate sacrifice, and many who face changed lives forever.”

In making the announcement, Scruggs said, “General Powell has a long history with the Memorial Fund, having spoken at several of our national ceremonies, including Memorial Day and the dedication of the Vietnam Women’s Memorial.  We are honored to have one of America’s most respected citizens help us lead this significant national effort.”

General Powell became the 65th Secretary of State in January 2001, retiring from that position in January 2005.  Prior to that, he was National Security Advisor to President Reagan.  He served 35 years in the United States Army, rising to the rank of Four-Star General and serving as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from 1989 to 1993.  During that time, he oversaw 28 crises, including the Panama intervention of 1989 and Operation Desert Storm in the 1991 Persian Gulf War.

General Powell entered the U.S. Army in 1958 as a commissioned officer and served two tours of duty in Vietnam: 1962-1963 and 1968-1969.  He is the recipient of numerous U.S. military awards and decorations, including the Defense Distinguished Service Medal (with 3 Oak Leaf Clusters), the Army Distinguished Service Medal (with Oak Leaf Cluster), Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit (with Oak Leaf Cluster), Soldier's Medal, Bronze Star Medal and the Purple Heart.  The General’s civilian awards include two Presidential Medals of Freedom, the President's Citizens Medal, the Congressional Gold Medal and the Secretary of Energy Distinguished Service Medal.  He has received awards from over two dozen countries, including a French Legion of Honor and an honorary knighthood bestowed by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain.

In November 2003, legislation (H.R. 1442) was signed by President Bush, authorizing the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund to build the underground Memorial Center at or near The Wall, at no cost to taxpayers.  The selection process for the ideal site is underway. 

Immediately following the bill’s approval, the Memorial Fund launched a national design competition, and in September 2004, the selection committee, with Maya Lin as special advisor, chose the team of Polshek Partnership Architects and exhibit designers, Ralph Appelbaum & Associates, to design the Memorial Center.  Among their combined projects are the Clinton Presidential Library, the underground Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall and the U.S. Holocaust Museum in Washington, DC. 

On July 19, 2004, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Center Advisory Board, chaired by General Barry R. McCaffrey, USA (Ret), met for the first time.  The Board, consisting of veterans, historians, authors, educators and scholars, meets regularly to consider the nature of the exhibits for the Memorial Center.

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, the organization works to preserve the legacy of The Wall, to promote healing and to educate about the impact of the Vietnam War.

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