**UPDATE: The deadline for submissions for the "In Memory" display has been extended to July 31, 2021. For family members of Vietnam Veterans who'd like to submit an application for the ceremony in Washington D.C., the deadline is March 29, 2021.**

Gearing up for The Wall That Heals, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Replica Wall, to make its stop in Brighton Sept. 2 - 5, community members across the state are encouraged to submit names and photos of veterans who have passed away since their return home for the “In Memory Honor Roll” display. Since the Vietnam War ended, thousands of Vietnam Veterans have died each year due to Agent Orange exposure, PTSD and suicide, cancer and other causes related to their service. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund’s (VVMF)  program seeks to honor those veterans through a digital “In Memory” display when The Wall That Heals is in Brighton. 

VVMF is accepting applications through March 5 for the 2021 In Memory program. All veterans from Colorado honored through In Memory will have their photos and names on display as part of the mobile Education Center exhibit when The Wall That Heals is in Brighton. 

“We want to honor as many Vietnam veterans from Colorado as possible. If your loved one served in Vietnam, returned home and later died –we want to be able to proudly display their name and photo in our community,” said Council Member Tim Watts, who has been involved in the effort to bring The Wall That Heals to Brighton. “I encourage members of the community to submit the names of Vietnam Veterans who have passed so that we can honor that sacrifice and help keep their memory alive.”

There is no cost to have a veteran honored and the application process is simple. To honor a loved one, you only need to complete a short application and submit the veteran’s DD214 showing their proof of service in Vietnam, a copy of their death certificate and two photographs. The application deadline to be included in the 2021 program is March 5, 2021. Additional information on the In Memory program and the application form can be found here: www.vvmf.org/inmemory.

As part of the In Memory program, an online remembrance page is created for each honoree with their photo and biography. Family members can share the page and leave remembrances about their loved one. Additionally, there will be an invitation to In Memory weekend in Washington D.C. (a touching ceremony on-site of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial where each honoree’s name is read aloud) - each applicant also receives a printed personal tribute certificate with their veteran’s photo(s). 

“The impact of the Vietnam War stretches far beyond the 58,281 names on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. More than three million Americans served in Vietnam and an untold number of those who served have suffered from service-connected illnesses. No one knew that when the war ended, Vietnam veterans and their families would still be feeling the effects of their service more than 50 years later. In Memory is our way to honor these Vietnam veterans for the sacrifices they made,” said Jim Knotts, president and CEO of VVMF, the nonprofit organization that founded the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. in 1982 and manages The Wall That Heals and In Memory programs.

About The Wall That Heals: 

Spreading the healing legacy and the impact of the Vietnam War, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Replica Wall, The Wall That Heals, and Mobile Education Center will be making stops in cities across the U.S., including Brighton in September. The three-quarter scale Wall replica will be located at Carmichael Park, just behind City Hall (500 S. 4th Avenue), and will be open 24 hours a day and free to the public. The Wall That Heals honors the more than three million Americans who served in the U.S. Armed forces in the Vietnam War and bears the names of the 58,279 men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice in Vietnam. 

For more information about the In Memory display and/or The Wall That Heals, visit www.vvmf.org/inmemory and/or www.thewallthatheals.org.