News Release: Radiothon To Raise Funds For Vietnam Veterans Memorial Center

25 May 2008

Sons and Daughters in Touch (SDIT), a national organization of Americans who lost their fathers in the Vietnam War, is teaming up with nationally syndicated radio host Rusty Humphries to raise more than $58,000 for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Center, an educational facility being built by the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.

The SDIT National Radiothon will air May 23, 24 and 26 during the nationally syndicated Rusty Humphries Show on Talk Radio Network. SDIT has pledged to raise $1 for every name on The Wall. Currently, there are 58,260 names.

“The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund is proud of our continuing relationship with Sons and Daughters in Touch,” said Jan C. Scruggs, founder and president of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, the organization that is building the education center. “As we honor the fathers whose names are on The Wall, we are pleased to get to know their children and grandchildren. By continuing to find ways to honor their loved ones, family members help keep the names on the Memorial alive.”

Radiothon host Rusty Humphries’ father, Army Capt. Gary D. Humphries, was killed during the Vietnam War and is remembered on Panel 34W, Row 84 of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.

SDIT Founder and Chairman Tony Cordero expressed gratitude to Humphries for using his radio show to raise money for the Center, which, he said, “will ensure that the history and legacy of our fathers is shared with Americans today and generations to come.” Cordero’s father, Air Force Maj. William Cordero, is remembered on Panel 2E, Row 15 of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.

The three, three-hour programs that Humphries will broadcast on his radio show on May 23, 24 and 26 will include interviews with celebrity guests and people who had prominent roles in the Vietnam War and the building of The Wall. For information about how to tune in, visit www.talktorusty.com.

The Memorial Fund is providing financial support to allow Humphries to broadcast from Washington, D.C., and also has helped him secure interviews with former and current elected officials, performers, authors, former Vietnam War correspondents and Gold Star Mothers. Among those who will be featured during the radiothon is Jan Scruggs, the man who was the driving force behind the Vietnam Veterans Memorial more than 25 years ago and who is leading the effort to build the Memorial Center today.

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Center will be built underground near the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and the Lincoln Memorial. While still in the planning stages, exhibits will include a wall of photographs of those whose names are on The Wall—changing daily to display a person’s image on his or her birthday, a selection of the more than 100,000 items that have been left at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, a timeline of key military events in the Vietnam War and other rotating exhibits. As visitors leave, they will see a powerful exit display that will illustrate the legacy of service demonstrated by the American people, showing images of those who served in all of America’s wars, from the Revolutionary War to Iraq.

The Sons and Daughters in Touch Radiothon is just part of the group’s effort to raise more than $58,000 for the Center. Starting on May 20 and continuing through June 13, those who want to support the SDIT campaign can make tax-deductible contributions at www.sdit.org or by calling (800) 890-SDIT. The money collected by SDIT will be presented to Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund Founder and President Jan Scruggs on June 15 during the annual Father’s Day Rose Remembrance Ceremony at The Wall.

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund has raised approximately $17 million for the Center to date, with a goal of $75 million to $100 million. The $10 million lead gift was pledged by Time Warner. The Center will be funded completely from private donations, just as The Wall was privately funded when it was built in 1982. The Memorial Fund expects to break ground for the Center in 2010; the building should be completed 18 months later.

For the past 18 years, Sons and Daughters in Touch (SDIT) has worked to locate, unite and provide support to the now-grown children of American servicemen who made the ultimate sacrifice in the Vietnam War. In that time, more than 3,000 members have contacted veterans who served with their fathers, visited the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and shared their life experiences with others. Today, SDIT members take considerable pride in knowing that the loss of their fathers was not in vain.

Established in 1979, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund is the nonprofit organization authorized by Congress to build the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. Today, the Memorial Fund is an international nongovernmental organization dedicated to preserving the legacy of The Wall, promoting healing and educating about the impact of the Vietnam War. Its initiatives include educational programs for students and educators, a traveling Wall replica that honors our nation’s veterans and a humanitarian and mine-action program in Vietnam. The Memorial Fund is also building the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Center, an underground educational facility, near The Wall.

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