The Iowa Department of Veterans Affairs will host the 2017 Vietnam Veterans Recognition Day Ceremony Friday, May 5 at 11 a.m. at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial located south of the Iowa State Capitol building in Des Moines.
Gov. Terry E. Branstad, who was governor in 1984 when the monument was dedicated, will be present at the ceremony, along with Robert Steben, interim executive director of the Iowa Department of Veterans Affairs, who will officiate. Lieutenant Gov. Kim Reynolds will be the keynote speaker.
The ceremony will honor all who served in the Vietnam War and died as a result of their service. This includes the “hidden casualties of Vietnam” whose names are not eligible for inscription upon the Vietnam Wall. These casualties will be honored on the Memory Plaque, dedicated on the Vietnam Wall grounds last year.
This year’s ceremony will also include the addition of James McGough’s name to the Memorial Wall. McGough, a Fort Dodge native, received a blood transfusion in 1971 after he was injured in combat. He contracted Hepatitis C from the transfusion, and the virus contributed to his death in 2014.
McGough is the first Iowan since 1994 whose name has been added to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. Other Iowans on the Memorial Wall on the National Mall include Terry A. Chase of Stanley, Carroll E. Fankhauser of West Branch, Lonnie D. Hartsock of Burlington, Lannie A. York of Muscatine, William Harrison Pease of Fort Dodge and Douglas E. Peterson of Fairfield.
Interim Executive Director Steben said he encourages Iowans to attend the ceremony that honors and commemorates our state’s Vietnam veterans who returned from the war and those who gave their lives in the fight for the freedom of others.
AMVETS Post 2 will host a luncheon following the ceremony at their post located at 2818 Fifth St. in Des Moines. The free lunch is being provided by Disabled American Veterans (DAV). For more information, contact Meghan Larkins at the Iowa Department of Veterans Affairs, 515-727-3442, Meghan.Larkins@iowa.gov.
My husband’s brother is on the Vietnam memorial wall, Steven M. Mitchell. We used to be notified when the recognition was going to be but have not been for years. It would be nice if we knew when this was going to be. Can someone please email me when?