News Release: Mother's Day Ceremony to be held at The Wall

10 May 2007

Mothers whose children served and sacrificed in the Vietnam War and other military conflicts will be honored with roses and Mother’s Day cards at the eighth annual Mother’s Day at The Wall ceremony.
The Girl Scouts of the Nation’s Capital will present handmade cards and roses to members of the American Gold Star Mothers and American War Mothers, who will read the cards and leave them at the base of The Wall. The organizations are for women who lost their children in battle and women who have children in service, respectively. The Mother’s Day cards are hand made and sent by students from across the country.

Peggy J. Morrison of Newville, Pa., the National Banner Guard for the American Gold Star Mothers Inc., will be a featured speaker at the ceremony. Morrison lost her son, Marine Lance Cpl. Nicholas Bradley Morrison, in Iraq in 2004. Also speaking at the ceremony will be Salvatore Tornello, a decorated Vietnam veteran who is the executive vice president and chief investment officer for the New York Private Bank and Trust. Master of ceremonies will be Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund Founder and President Jan C. Scruggs.

Schools sending cards for the ceremony include:

• El Cajon Valley High School, El Cajon, Calif.
• Shipley’s Choice Elementary School, Millersville, Md.
• Franklin Middle School, Franklin, N.H.
• Commack Middle School, Comack, N.Y.
• Middleton High School, Middleton, Del.
• Centennial Middle School, Broken Arrow, Okla.
• Clearwater High School, Clearwater, Fla.
• Rural Retreat Middle School, Rural Retreat, Va.
• Williamsport High School, Williamsport, Md.
• Travilah Elementary School, Gaithersburg, Md.
• William Byrd Middle School, Vinton, Va.
• Loggers' Run Middle School, Boca Raton, Fla.
• White Oaks Elementary, Burke, Va.

Who:	American Gold Star Mothers American War Mothers Girl Scouts of the Nation’s Capital Peggy J. Morrison, American Gold Star Mother Salvatore Tornello, New York Private Bank and Trust Jan C. Scruggs, Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund
What:	Eighth Annual Mother’s Day at The Wall
When:	Sunday, May 13, at 9 a.m.
Where:	The Vietnam Veterans Memorial, 21st Street and Constitution Ave., NW
Sponsor:	New York Private Bank and Trust
Why:	The Mother’s Day at The Wall ceremony is an opportunity to honor these women whose lives are forever changed due to war. It also pays tribute to their children—those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country and those who are in harm’s way today.

Established in 1979, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund is the non-profit organization authorized by Congress to build the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C.  Today, through a series of outreach programs, it is dedicated to preserving the legacy of The Wall, promoting healing and educating about the impact of the Vietnam War. It is building the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Center, an underground educational facility, near The Wall.

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