For Immediate Release                                                                          Contact: Lee Allen

January 24, 2012                                                                                  (202) 393-0090 Ext. 109

First Division Museum Joins in National Call for Photos Effort

Chicago-area Museum Lends Support for The Education Center at The Wall

Washington, DC – The First Division Museum of Cantigny Park in Wheaton, IL, which presents the history of the storied 1st Division (Big Red One) from WWI to the present day, has generously agreed to partner with the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund (VVMF) in its National Call for Photos Campaign, an initiative to collect the more than 58,000 photos of fallen service-members inscribed on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, DC.  The Museum has generously agreed to help collect photographs of the over 3,000 fallen 1st Infantry Division Soldiers in Vietnam. 

This partnership was initiated by VVMF Corporate Council Member Major General Neal Creighton, USA (Ret.), former Executive Director of the McCormick Foundation and a former Commanding General of the 1^st Infantry Division. This partnership will enable the servicemen of the First Division, as well as all who bravely gave their lives in Vietnam, to be forever remembered in the Education Center at The Wall, a place on our National Mall where our military heroes’ stories and sacrifices will never be forgotten. 

As part of the partnership, the First Division Museum will also distribute VVMF educational curricula to local teachers, highlighting the Vietnam War and its consequences.  In addition, The Wall That Heals, VVMF’s half-scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, DC, will visit Cantigny Park in September, 2012. Residents are encouraged to visit the exhibit to remember loved ones, bring photos of friends or loved ones who perished in Vietnam, share their experiences with others and learn more about the Vietnam War era.

The Wall that Heals features a mobile museum for visitors to tour and take part in. The museum includes pictures and stories of some of the men and women who served in the Vietnam War, as well as displays chronicling the history and facts of the war.

 “VVMF is proud to join with the First Division Museum as we look forward to the construction of the Education Center at The Wall,” said VVMF Founder and President Jan C. Scruggs.  “Their continued support allows for the sacrifices of our military heroes to be honored and remembered for generations to come.”

VVMF thanks Major General Creighton and the First Division Museum for their outstanding support, and looks forward to their partnership as we culminate the 30^th Anniversary of The Wall and look forward to the groundbreaking of the Education Center.

About VVMF and The Education Center

The Education Center at The Wall is a place on our National Mall where our military heroes' stories and sacrifice will never be forgotten. With a groundbreaking planned for November 2012, the Education Center at The Wall is a multi-million dollar, state-of- the-art visitor’s center and learning facility to be built on the grounds of the Vietnam Veterans and the Lincoln Memorials. Visitors will better understand the profound impact the Vietnam War had their friends and family members, their home towns, and the Nation. The Education Center will feature the faces and stories of the 58,272 men and women on “The Wall,” honoring those who fell in Vietnam, those who fought and returned, as well as the friends and families of all who served. For more information, visit www.buildthecenter.org.

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 will 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.

Support the Education Center at The Wall by visiting www.buildthecenter.org, calling 866-990-WALL, or by texting "WALL" to 2022.

###