WASHINGTON, D.C. — More than 650 Vietnam veterans, including 13 from Kansas, will be inducted into the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund’s (VVMF) In Memory Program in 2024. VVMF believes all those who served in the Vietnam War should be honored and remembered for their service. The In Memory program enables the families and friends of those who came home and later died, the opportunity to have them be forever memorialized.
On June 15, 2024, VVMF will host the 2024 In Memory ceremony on the East Knoll of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, where each 2024 honoree’s name will be read aloud. This year, 656 veterans will be honored during the ceremony.
“For many Vietnam veterans, coming home from Vietnam was just the beginning of a whole new fight. Many never fully recovered, either physically or emotionally, from their experiences. As these veterans pass, it is our duty and solemn promise to welcome them home to the place that our nation has set aside to remember our Vietnam veterans,” said Jim Knotts, president and CEO of VVMF.
The plaque that honors these veterans was dedicated as a part of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial site 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.
2024 In Memory Inductees from Central Kansas:
Donald Scott Black, U.S. Army, Ellsworth, June 13, 1946 – Nov. 11, 2013
Raymond Allen Cates, U.S. Army, Claflin, Aug. 12, 1950 – Jan. 5, 2022
Thomas Herrman, U.S. Air Force. Great Bend, Oct. 31, 1949 – Nov. 22, 2001
Lee Allen Stubblefield, U.S. Navy. Great Bend, July 4, 1937 – June 10, 2016
VVMF has created a personal remembrance page for each honoree online in the In Memory Honor Roll at www.vvmf.org/honor-roll. Their photos will also be displayed around the country when VVMF’s mobile exhibit, The Wall That Heals, is on display in an honoree’s home state. To view the 2024 tour schedule for The Wall That Heals, visit https://www.vvmf.org/The-Wall-That-Heals/.
The 2024 In Memory ceremony will be shown live on VVMF’s Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/VietnamVeteransMemorialFund) and on VVMF’s website (www.vvmf.org/live) beginning at 10 a.m. ET on June 15. The recorded video of the In Memory ceremony will be made available shortly after the conclusion of the ceremony. The In Memory program was created in 1993 and, after this year’s ceremony, will have honored more than 6,800 veterans. For more information on the In Memory program or to apply to have your loved one honored in 2025, 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. To learn more about VVMF, visit www.vvmf.org or call 202-393-0090.
