Reporting from the Wall 03:41	Voices on the Knoll 15:34
	VVMF Celebrates the decorating of a Christmas tree at the Vietnam Memorial	View the Opening Ceremony in its entirety

Please help the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund
Honor our nation’s veterans and their families
By having your students make Christmas ornaments
For those who served and sacrificed during the Vietnam War
And, for those currently serving overseas.

A few days before Christmas each year, the Memorial Fund staff and volunteers decorate a Christmas Tree at the apex of The Wall. The tree is decorated with thousands of cards sent to the Memorial Fund each December in honor of all America’s service members – past and present –and their families. This year’s ceremony will be held on Monday, December 19, 2011 at 10:00 a.m.

We are asking teachers and their students to help us decorate the Christmas Tree at The Wall by making ornaments with messages for our veterans and active-duty service members.

In order to have your classes’ ornaments placed at The Wall, please send the cards to 2600 Virginia Avenue, Suite 104, Washington, DC 20037 to be received no later than Thursday, December 15.

You, your students and their families also are invited to present the ornaments, in person, at the Christmas Tree at The Wall ceremony. If your class is interested in participating, please contact Director of National Education Programs Geoffrey Wiles at 202.393.0090 ext.110 or by email at [email protected].

 

 

For Immediate Release                                                         Contact: Lee A. Allen November 7, 2011                                                                 (202) 393-0090, ext. 109

15^th ANNUAL CHRISTMAS TREE CEREMONY AT THE VIETNAM VETERANS MEMORIAL PLANNED FOR DECEMBER 19

Rolling Thunder Founder, Prominent D.C. Attorney and Veterans Campaign Executive Director to Speak

Washington, D.C. – The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund (VVMF) will honor veterans and active-duty military personnel during its 15^th Annual Christmas Tree Ceremony at The Wall, planned for 10 a.m. on Monday, December 19, 2011. During the ceremony, representatives of the VVMF will place a Christmas tree at the apex of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Volunteers will decorate the tree with holiday greeting cards sent to the VVMF by Americans of all ages. The tree will also be adorned with cards and ornaments hand-made by schoolchildren from around the country.

 

VVMF President Jan Scruggs will serve as master of ceremonies for the event. The featured speakers will be Walt Sides, John Weber and Seth Lynn.

 

Walt Sides was one of the "founding fathers" of Rolling Thunder, an organization dedicated to prisoner of war and missing in action issues and the annual Memorial Day "Demonstration Run," which has become the world's largest single-day motorcycle event.

 

John Weber is a partner in Baker Hostetler’s Washington, D.C., office and is the head of the firm’s Intellectual Property, Technology and Media Group. He served in the U.S. Army infantry in Vietnam from 1968 to 1970 and was awarded the Purple Heart and Combat Infantryman’s Badge.

 

Prior to founding the Veterans Campaign, Seth Lynn served as an Amphibious Assault Vehicle Officer in the Marine Corps. While on active duty, Lynn deployed to Kuwait, Iraq, and Japan, and also participated in the Indonesian tsunami relief effort. As part of this year’s ceremony, VVMF is proud to join in the cause of Operation Gratitude, an organization that sends over 100,000 care packages annually to service-members in hostile regions around the world.  The packages are filled with food, hygiene products, and entertainment items. VVMF staff sorted nearly fifty packages filled with snacks and personal care products to be sent overseas to soldiers who will be away from their families this holiday season. 

 

 “The Wall is a sacred place, and one of so few where visitors are so directly exposed to the most noble American values of duty, honor, courage and sacrifice,” says Jan Scruggs. “This ceremony, now in its 15^th year, has become a cherished part of the holidays, and we are proud to join Operation Gratitude in showing appreciation to our service men and women who are making tremendous sacrifices in the name of freedom.”

 

After the ceremony, the tree and many boxes of cards and ornaments will be left at The Wall, so that visitors can read the messages and add decorations when they visit throughout the holidays. Hand-made cards and ornaments have been contributed by these schools and Scout troops:

 

·         Pack #120 - Irvington, NY, Cub Scout Troop

·         Mrs. Whitehead’s 4th Grade Class – Carlisle Elementary School, Boaz, AL

·         Rosewood Christian Elementary School, Castro Valley, CA

·         Loggers Run Middle School, Boca Raton, FL

·         Ms. Gahr's 7th and 8th Graders from Berryhill School, Charlotte, NC

About VVMF and the Education Center at the Wall

 

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.

 

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

 

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