For Immediate Release
July 1, 2010		 Contact: Lisa Gough
(202) 393-0090, ext. 109

Media Advisory

RESTORED THREE SERVICEMEN STATUE TO BE UNVEILED NEXT WEEK
Rededication Ceremony Scheduled for July 8 at 10 a.m.

Washington, D.C. –  The Three Servicemen statue, which has undergone six weeks of work to remove damage and restore the original patina, will be unveiled and rededicated in a ceremony on July 8 at 10 a.m., announced Jan C. Scruggs, founder and president of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund (VVMF).

VVMF raised the money to perform the work and conducted the restoration in partnership with the National Park Service (NPS). The work was performed by New Arts Foundry based in Baltimore, Md., in consultation with Elliot Gantz and Jay Hall Carpenter, artists who worked with sculptor Frederick Hart on the original statue in 1984.

WHO:

 

 

 

 

  

Speakers at the rededication ceremony will include:
Jan Scruggs, founder and president, VVMF
John Piltzecker, superintendent, National Mall and Memorial Parks, NPS
Lindy Hart, widow of Three Servicemen sculptor Frederick Hart
Brig. Gen. George Price, USA (Ret.)

On hand to answer questions about the process will be:
Jay Hall Carpenter, a professional sculptor who served as Frederick Hart’s assistant in 1984
Russell Bernabo, noted preservation expert
Gary Siegel, New Arts Foundry
James Cummings, architect-of-record for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial

WHAT:

Unveiling of the newly restored Three Servicemen statue

WHEN:

Thursday, July 8, at 10 a.m.

WHERE:

 

Please note new site: The rededication ceremony will begin with remarks in Lincoln Circle. Afterward, attendees will go to the Three Servicemen statue for the unveiling. 

HOW:

 

 

 

 During the six-week restoration process, the old patina and oxidation damage were removed, and the new patina—including eight separate colors—was heat applied to the statue. When the process was complete, wax was applied. Throughout the six-week restoration, the statue was surrounded by a wooden enclosure with three seven-foot tall windows to allow visitors to watch the progress of the restoration.

SPONSORS:       

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thomas N.P. Johnson III and the Roy R. Charles Charitable Trust
Robert Chase Sr.
Chesley LLC
Richard Lieb
VFW Post 5958 of Titusville, Pa.
Tom and Edwina Johnson
Bill Nelson
The Ladies’ Auxiliary to the Veterans of Foreign Wars
American Legion Post 10 of Manassas, Va.
Pentagon Federal Credit Union

In addition to these generous donors, the Three Servicemen statue was restored thanks to a nearly $25,000 Challenge Cost Share grant from the National Park Service and was the beneficiary of a fundraiser held in the home of Lindy Hart in May. In addition, individual contributions were received for the statue from around the country. 

 

WHY:

 

 

 

 

Work on the Three Servicemen statue is part of a maintenance and restoration program by the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund to assist the National Park Service in upkeep of the site. Since last fall, VVMF has raised funds to: repair the sprinkler system; provide lawn care for over 13.5 acres at and around the Memorial site; refinish the flagpole and flagpole base, as well as five directory stands located throughout the site; and replace paper directories of the names on The Wall with laminated directories better able to withstand being out in the weather.

Established in 1979, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund is dedicated to preserving the legacy of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., promoting healing and educating about the impact of the Vietnam War.  Authorized by Congress, its most recent initiative is building The Education Center at The Wall, an underground facility near the Memorial that is designed to help visitors discover the stories of those named on The Wall and celebrate the values embodied by all service members who served in all of America’s wars. Other Memorial Fund initiatives include educational programs for students and teachers, a traveling Wall replica that honors our nation's veterans and a humanitarian and mine-action program in Vietnam.

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