For Immediate Release
October 28, 2005

Contact: Lisa Gough
202-393-0090 ext. 109
lgough@vvmf.org

JOINT CHIEFS CHAIRMAN GEN. PETER PACE TO SPEAK AT
VIETNAM VETERANS MEMORIAL ON VETERANS DAY
Friday, November 11, 2005, at 12:50 p.m.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Gen. Peter Pace, recently sworn in as the country’s 16th chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, will deliver the keynote address during the Veterans Day ceremony at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, announced Jan C. Scruggs, founder and president of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund.

The ceremony, which traditionally attracts thousands of dignitaries, veterans and family members, will begin at 12:50 p.m. on Friday, November 11 and is being co-hosted by the Memorial Fund and the National Park Service.

Gen. Pace is a prominent veteran with nearly 40 years of service. Before he assumed the chairmanship of the Joint Chiefs, he served for four years as vice chairman and is the first Marine to hold either position. His first assignment was in Vietnam in 1968. Since then, he has held command at virtually every level and has served overseas in Thailand, Korea and Japan.

Gen. Pace will be introduced by Ret. Gen. Barry R. McCaffrey, a 1964 West Point graduate who served two tours of duty in Vietnam with the U.S. Army. Gen. McCaffrey has twice earned the Distinguished Service Cross, the nation’s second-highest medal for valor, as well as other commendations.

Also speaking at the Veterans Day ceremony will be Ret. Brig. Gen. Peter M. Dawkins, vice chairman of Citigroup Private Bank. Gen. Dawkins was in the U.S. Army for 24 years, having commands in both the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions. Another featured speaker will be Ret. Brig. Gen. Evelyn “Pat” Foote, an Army veteran who served for 30 years, including a tour in Vietnam in 1968.

“The presence of so many respected military officials is fitting, since this day was set aside to honor U.S. servicemen and women,” said Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund President Jan Scruggs. “While the Vietnam Veterans Memorial honors those who served long ago, our ceremony honors soldiers who took part in all of our country’s armed conflicts, especially those serving today. Values like loyalty, duty and respect belong to all soldiers.”

This year’s Veterans Day event will begin with a march to The Wall, led by Ret. Lt. Gen. Hal Moore and journalist Joe Galloway. The procession of veterans of the 1st Cavalry Division will mark the 40th anniversary of Ia Drang, the first major battle of the Vietnam War. Gen. Moore was the battalion commander at Ia Drang, and Galloway was a reporter with UPI. The two wrote a book about the experience, We Were Soldiers Once…And Young.

Other speakers at the Veterans Day ceremony include: Joseph M. Lawler, regional director of the National Capital Region of the National Park Service; Diane Carlson Evans, founder and president of the Vietnam Women’s Memorial Foundation; and Randy L. Pleva Sr., national president of the Paralyzed Veterans of America. Jan Scruggs will be master of ceremonies.

Music will be provided by country music star and Paralyzed Veterans of America spokesman Aaron Tippin, who will sing “Where the Stars and Stripes and the Eagle Fly.” The ceremony will conclude with wreaths being laid at The Wall by a variety of veterans organizations.

The event is free and open to the public. It will be Webcast live and archived on the Memorial Fund’s Web site at www.vvmf.org and www.tvworldwide.com. It will also be available to media outlets via satellite. Contact the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund at (202) 393-0090 for exact coordinates.

Established in 1979, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund is a nonprofit organization authorized by Congress to build the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. 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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