Replica of Vietnam Memorial Dedication in Punta Gorda, Florida
Vietnam Wall of Southwest Florida Dedication Ceremony & Celebratory Event
The Vietnam Wall of Southwest Florida will be dedicated on Saturday, November 5, 2016, beginning at 8:30 a.m. with a Walk of Honor from Laishley Marina to the Wall site in Laishley Park (100 Nesbit Street). Each person participating in the walk will carry a card with the name of a service member whose name is on the Wall.
At 9:00 a.m., Rolling Thunder, an advocacy group that seeks to bring full accountability for prisoners of war and missing in action service members of all U.S. wars, will ride by the dedication site.
At 10:00 a.m. a Warbird flyover of ex-military vintage aircraft planes is scheduled to take flight.
Major General Richard E. Carr, Vietnam veteran and President of Vietnam Wall of Southwest Florida, Inc., will serve as Master of Ceremonies for the dedication.
Remarks from dignitaries and the official presentation of the Vietnam Memorial will be followed by a UH-1 helicopter fly-over and a 21-gun salute. Guns and Hoses, a pipe and drum unit will play the songs of each branch of Military Service. The dedication will close with the playing of Taps.
Following the ceremony, Veterans’ Fest, an all-day celebration of the men and women who have defended and are defending our country, will be held at Laishley Park. A collaboration with iHeart Media and the City of Punta Gorda, the family-friendly event will feature live entertainment, a kids’ area, business and craft vendors and plenty of food and beverages. Admission is $5 per person.
Founded in 1979 by Vietnam veteran Jan Scruggs, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial fund raised nearly $9-million for the construction of a permanent memorial in Washington, D.C., to “acknowledge and recognize the service and sacrifice of all who served in Vietnam.”
Designed by then Yale undergraduate, May Ying Lin, the Wall was officially opened to the public in November 13, 1982, chronologically listing the names of more than 58,000 Americans who gave their lives in service to their country. Through Memorial Day 2015, another 368 names were added to the Wall. An additional eight have been added in 2016.
Use this link to learn more.
