More than 300 Vietnam veterans, including Robert John Castor of Pensacola, will be inducted into the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund’s (VVMF) In Memory Program in 2016. The program honors Vietnam veterans whose lives were cut short as a result of their service in Vietnam, but are not eligible for inscription on The Wall under Department of Defense guidelines.
On June 18, 2016, VVMF will host more than 2,000 attendees at the annual ceremony on the East Knoll of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. This year, 312 service members will be honored during the ceremony. The master of ceremonies will be Capt. Denis Faherty.
During the In Memory ceremony, the names of all the honorees are read aloud and certificates bearing the honorees’ names are placed at The Wall. These certificates are later collected by the National Park Service and stored in a permanent archive.
In Memory began in 1999 and has since honored more than 2,500 veterans. The plaque that honors these veterans was dedicated as a part of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in 2004. It reads: In Memory of the men and women who served in the Vietnam War and later died as a result of their service. We honor and remember their sacrifice.
2016 In Memory Inductees from Florida:
Robert John Castor, U.S. Navy
Pensacola, Fla.
August 19, 1946 – January 21, 2011
Richard Wayne Clarke, U.S. Marine Corps
Pompano Beach, Fla.
July 30, 1945 – August 19, 2015
Gregory Deutsch, U.S. Air Force
Boca Raton, Fla.
February 24, 1947 – August 9, 2015
Michael Clair Hamm, U.S. Air Force
Sarasota, Fla.
July 1, 1945 – February 19, 2014
Ralph Lewis Kirby, U.S. Army
Leesburg, Fla.
August 7, 1945 – December 12, 2015
Jerry Pierpont Morgan, U.S. Air Force
Melbourne, Fla.
February 19, 1940 – September 15, 2011
Lonnie Rodger Nevitt, U.S. Army
Jacksonville, Fla.
May 9, 1949 – November 27, 2014
Stanley Marvin Oliver, U.S. Navy
Lake Alfred, Fla.
May 30, 1946 – January 10, 2013
William Jackson Warner, U.S. Marine Corps
Jacksonville, Fla.
January 16, 1938 – January 17, 2011
For more information on the In Memory program, please visit: www.vvmf.org/inmemory.
About the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund
The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund (VVMF) is the nonprofit organization that founded the Vietnam Veterans Memorial (The Wall) in Washington, D.C. in 1982. VVMF continues to lead the way in paying tribute to our nation’s Vietnam veterans and their families. VVMF’s mission is to honor and preserve the legacy of service in America and educate all generations about the impact of the Vietnam War and era.
VVMF is in the fundraising stages to build the Education Center at The Wall. The Center will be an interactive learning facility on the National Mall where our military heroes’ stories and sacrifice will never be forgotten. The Education Center will feature the faces and stories of the more than 58,000 men and women on The Wall and honor America’s Legacy of Service, including those serving in our nation’s armed forces today. Time Warner is the Lead Gift Benefactor in the campaign to build the Education Center at The Wall. To learn more about VVMF and the Education Center at The Wall, visit www.vvmf.org or call 866-990-WALL.
