Abercrombie supports Vietnam photo campaign

StarAdvertiser: Abercrombie supports Vietnam photo campaign
Gov. Neil Abercrombie has joined the effort to collect photographs of the 276 people from Hawaii killed in the Vietnam War that will be displayed in an $85 million education center built near the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C.

"When we started the effort, we had 40 photos," said Jason Cain, member of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund. "We have doubled that number."

Cain said Abercrombie plans to mention the organization's efforts in his weekly webcast, adding his support from a state that had one of the highest casualty rates in the Vietnam War.

At 11 a.m. today its president and founder, Jan C. Scruggs, will be the featured speaker at the U.S. Army Museum at Fort DeRussy, where he will describe the project.

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund has initiated a campaign to collect a photograph for each of the more than 58,000 men and women, including 276 from Hawaii, whose names are inscribed on the Wall — a memorial made up of two polished, black granite walls each 246 feet long.

"The stories of the people who made the ultimate sacrifice in Vietnam are stories of courage and honor," said Scruggs. "The 276 from Hawaii who answered their country's call are a source of pride for your entire state. We honor them today, and we will honor them for years to come in the Education Center."

Also attending the Fort DeRussy event will be 10 family members and friends of some of the servicemen whose photos and stories are being collected. They include:

» Lorna Taitano, whose brother, Army Spc. 4 Donald F. Marshall II, is honored on panel 40-E, row 25, of the Wall. He died in Vietnam in 1968.

» Billie Gabriel, whose brother, Army Spc. 5 James "Kimo" Gabriel Jr., is honored on panel 1-E, row 8. He was the first Special Forces soldier and the first Hawaiian to be killed in the Vietnam War in 1962.

» Members of the Maui High School Class of 1965, who will be honoring classmate Army Spc. 4 Walter Browne, who is honored on panel 20-W, row 85. He died in 1969.

» Representatives from the University of Hawaii Army ROTC, who will be donating photos of 2nd Lt. Thomas Blevins (panel 6-E, row 88), 2nd Lt. Frank Rodriguez (panel 47-E, row 6), Capt. Kenneth Good (panel 1-E, row 15) and 1st Lt. Brian Kong (panel 5-W, row 125).

Lisa Gough, spokeswoman for the organization, said more than 19,000 photos have been gathered since the campaign started in 2009.

"We estimate it will take about $85 million, and we have about $30 million now," Gough said. "Once we break ground, it could take 18-24 months to build."

The photos of Hawaii's servicemen will be part of the "Wall of Faces" exhibit in the education center that will be built adjacent to the Wall.

Images of the people on the Wall will be shown on their birthdays.

The 35,000-square-foot underground center will feature a courtyard and, in addition to the photographs, will showcase some of the more than 150,000 items that have been left at the wall, a time line of key events of the Vietnam War and a history of the memorial.

In November 2003, President George W. Bush signed legislation authorizing its construction.

The Vietnam War Memorial, designed by architect Maya Lin and dedicated in 1982, is northeast of the Lincoln Memorial and is maintained by the National Park Service. More than 3 million people visit it each year.

It bears the names of servicemen killed in action or missing in action when the memorial was constructed in 1982. They are listed in chronological order from 1959 to 1975.

Go to www.vvmf.org/pafwan to learn how to participate. All photos and remembrances contributed for the Education Center will also be shared immediately on VVMF's Virtual Wall.

Each person whose name is on the memorial has a profile page on this site. Go to www.vvmf.org/thewall to find the profile page.

To learn more about the Education Center at the Wall, go to www.buildthecenter.org.