THREE NAMES TO BE ADDED
TO VIETNAM VETERANS MEMORIAL

WASHINGTON, D.C., May 17, 2002 — The names of three service members who died because of their Vietnam War service will be inscribed on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial on Tuesday, May 21, 2002 at 9 a.m (RAIN DATE: Wednesday, May 22 at 9 a.m.), announced Jan C. Scruggs, founder and president, Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund.

Expert stone workers from Denver, Colo.-based Great Panes Glassworks, Inc. are flown to Washington, D.C. to perform the process of adding names to the black granite panels and changing the status designations of existing names from missing in action to killed in action. The highly technical procedure requires meticulous work matching the stroke and depth of the surrounding names to within one thousandth of an inch, Scruggs said.

With the three new inscriptions, the Memorial displays the names of 58,229 men and women who were killed in Vietnam or remain missing in action. James Cummings, AIA, Vietnam Veterans Memorial Architect of Record, and James Lee of Great Panes will provide brief remarks about the newest additions and the inscription process.

The newest additions to The Wall are:

•
U.S. Army PFC William E. Johnson, Sr. (Cleveland, Ohio)
Birth Date: July 18, 1948
Incident Date: February 17, 1969
Date of Death: September 1, 1998
Wall Location: Panel 27 West, Line 30


• U.S. Army SGT Richard E. Toney (Bogalusa, La.)

Birth Date: October 28, 1946,
Incident Date: February 22, 1968
Date of Death: August 31, 1970
Wall Location: Panel 40 East, Line 58

• U.S. Army PFC Paul P. Zylko (Passaic, N.J.)

Birth Date: October 25, 1947
Incident Date: June 30, 1968
Date of Death: September 8, 1999
Wall Location: Panel 54 West, Line 24
In addition, the status symbols of 31 service members listed on the Memorial have been changed from missing in action to killed in action. Preceding each name on the Memorial is a symbol designating status. The diamond symbol denotes that the service member's death was confirmed; the cross symbol denotes the person remains missing in action. When a service member's remains are returned or accounted for, the diamond symbol is superimposed over the cross.

The Department of Defense makes all decisions about persons who fit the established criteria to be inscribed on the Memorial. The Memorial Fund works with the National Park Service to ensure the long-term preservation and maintenance of The Wall.

The new name inscriptions and status changes become "official" at the Annual Memorial Day Observance at The Wall on Monday, May 27, 2002 when a family member reads aloud the three names during the ceremony. The 1 p.m. ceremony will feature a keynote address by former Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole, a World War II veteran who more than 20 years ago gave the first-ever donation to build the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.

Dedicated on November 13, 1982, the Memorial was built to honor all who served with the U.S. Armed Forces during the Vietnam War. It has become known as 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 - which commemorates its 20th Anniversary this year - continues to be the most visited memorial in the nation's capital with more than 4.4 million visitors each year.

Established in 1979, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund is the nonprofit 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, to promoting healing and to educating about the impact of the Vietnam War.
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Submitted,
YNCS Don Harribine, USN(Ret)