VVMF

FATHER'S DAY: MORE THAN 1,000 ROSES TO BE PLACED AT THE WALL TO HONOR VIETNAM, IRAQ WAR CASUALTIES
Vietnam Veteran Father of Local Persian Gulf II KIA To Provide Keynote Address; Children of Vietnam Dead To Participate in Annual Remembrance Ceremony

WASHINGTON, D.C., June 11, 2003 --- More than 1,000 red, yellow and white roses will be placed at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial this Father's Day, Sunday, June 15, 2003 to remember those service members who perished in America's longest war as well as those who died in its most recent conflict, announced Jan C. Scruggs, Founder & President, Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund.

The Memorial Fund's Annual Father's Day Rose Remembrance, honoring casualties of the Vietnam War -- and this year, Operation Iraqi Freedom -- will be held on June 15 at 8 a.m. at The Wall. Vietnam veteran Frank Adamouski (Springfield, Virginia), whose son U.S. Army Captain James Francis Adamouski died on April 2, 2003 when his Black Hawk helicopter crashed in central Iraq, will provide the event's keynote address.

"Father's Day is an important time for us to honor all of the men who served and sacrificed for the United States," Scruggs said. "As our country concludes another war, it is particularly important to pay tribute to those men who are fathers and those who never had the opportunity to become fathers."

Beginning at 6:30 a.m., children of those service members who died or remain missing from Vietnam, along with Memorial volunteers and Vietnam veterans, will gather on 22nd Street and Constitution Avenue, NW, to begin affixing messages of honor and tribute to long-stemmed red, yellow and white roses. Red roses represent those who were killed in action in Vietnam, while yellow flowers designate those who remain missing in Southeast Asia. The white roses will symbolize those who died during America's most recent war.

Each year the Memorial Fund receives thousands of messages of honor and remembrance from loved ones and friends across to country to be left at The Wall. It is estimated that more than 20,000 children lost their fathers in Vietnam. After affixing the messages to the roses, the group will head to the East Knoll of the Memorial site for an 8 a.m. ceremony.

The Rose Remembrance ceremony will feature speeches by Vietnam veteran Richard Schneider, Director of Veterans Affairs, Non Commissioned Officers Association; and Sons & Daughters In Touch Board Member Kelly Rihn (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), whose father Army Specialist Fourth Class Joel D. Coleman was killed in Vietnam. The Father's Day Rose Remembrance Ceremony is made possible through the support of the Pentagon Federal Credit Union.

In addition, professional singer/songwriter Jeannine Johnson (Minneapolis, Minnesota) will perform her song "Remembrance" written in honor of her stepfather, Al Myers, who served as a Navy Corpsman in Vietnam from 1968-69. Memorial Founder Jan Scruggs will be the Master of Ceremonies.

At the conclusion of the 8 a.m. ceremony, family members, friends and volunteers will gather in a Circle of Honor to read some of the thousands of personal messages sent from all over the U.S. to the Memorial Fund. Each of the roses will be laid at the base of The Wall, forming a solemn garden of honor and remembrance.

In attendance will be several members from Sons and Daughters In Touch (SDIT), an organization dedicated to uniting and supporting children of service members who died or remain missing as a result of their service during the Vietnam War. The SDIT members and other grown children scheduled to attend include:

Kelly Rihn (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)
Daughter of Army Specialist Fourth Class Joel Daniel Coleman (Panel 7 East, Row 29)

"The Rose Ceremony is important to me because it gives me the opportunity to celebrate Father's Day with my dad, something we were never able to do. It's a special time for me to express my love and pride for my Dad."

Kimberly Kendrick (Woodbridge, Virginia)
Daughter of Army Private First Class Richard S. Kendrick (Panel 11 West, Row 125)

"My father is and will always be my hero. He gave his life along with his brothers in arms so that others could live a life they choose to live. It is with great honor and respect that I am able to pay my remembrance to my Dad and his brothers. Dad, I am so proud of you and you are with me always."

Donna Jackson (Cambridge, England)
Daughter of Air Force Staff Sergeant Robert G. Gerling (1996 In Memory Honoree)

"Even though our father has passed away, it's a chance for us to show how much we love him and how proud we are of him, and the living roses keep his memory and our love alive."

Dedicated on November 13, 1982, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial was built to honor all who served with the U.S. Armed Forces during the Vietnam War. It has become an international symbol of healing that has helped bring together those who stood on different sides during one of the most divisive periods in American history. The Wall bears the names of the 58,235 service members who made the ultimate sacrifice in Vietnam.

Established in 1979, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund is the non-profit organization authorized by Congress to build the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. Today, it has developed a series of outreach programs dedicated to preserving the legacy of The Wall, promoting healing and educating about the impact of the Vietnam War .

Donna Jackson is the daughter of Air Force SSGT Robert G. Gerling, who died of liver cancer attributed to exposure to Agent Orange. While under Department of Defense parameters his name is not eligible for inscription on The Wall, SSGT Gerling's military service is honored through the Memorial Fund's In Memory program. For the past two years, Donna has traveled to Washington, D.C. from England to participate in the Rose Remembrance ceremony.
On May 7, 1970, Army PFC Richard S. Kendrick was killed in Vietnam. His daughter Kimberly was just two months old. This year will be Kimberly's first Rose Remembrance ceremony. She recently returned from Vietnam as part of a historic visit by more than 75 SDIT members to retrace the final footsteps that their fathers left decades ago.
Kelly (Coleman) Rihn was just seven months old when Army SP4 Joel D. Coleman was killed in Vietnam. Her father died on May 5, 1966 at the age of 21; he had been in Vietnam for four months. Kelly lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She has been an SDIT member for more than 12 years and serves on its Board of Directors. Kelly will be attending the ceremony with her husband, John, and daughters Megan (10) and Alyssa (8).

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