News Release: VVMF and History Channel Form Educational Partnership

24 September 2010

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund (VVMF) and the HISTORY channel have formed an educational partnership to make teaching materials about the Vietnam War available to the nation’s schools.

Also, HISTORY has joined the campaign to build the Education Center at The Wall, which will provide learning opportunities for all visitors.

“Education is at the core of VVMF’s mission,” said Jan C. Scruggs, VVMF founder and president. “Everything we do—from teacher training to building an Education Center on the National Mall—is geared toward fostering a deeper knowledge of the Vietnam War and those who served. HISTORY has a reputation for fine historical programming and educational outreach, and we are excited to be partners with such an outstanding company.”

As a partner in VVMF’s educational activities, HISTORY has pledged $10,000 to the campaign to build the Education Center at The Wall. In addition, it has agreed to distribute VVMF’s new classroom research guide, the “Hometown Heroes Project,” throughout the United States via its e-newsletter. In return, VVMF is assisting HISTORY in promoting its Thank a Veteran at Work™ program, through links on its website and through social media postings.

“Hometown Heroes” was written to assist middle and high school teachers and their students in class projects about the Vietnam War. Students are shown how to identify resources in their communities to learn more about the local individuals who served during the Vietnam War and whose names are on The Wall. The project will assist them in connecting with veterans and family members and show them how to involve the community in projects to remember and honor the fallen.

When students gather information, remembrances and photographs of those whose names are on The Wall, they are encouraged to send copies to VVMF for use in the Education Center at The Wall, a learning facility that will be built near the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. The Center will showcase the photos of the more than 58,000 men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice in the Vietnam War, showing these larger-than-life photos on their birthdays.

Other exhibits will display some of the more than 100,000 items left in tribute at The Wall and highlight the values embodied by all of America’s service members. The “Hometown Heroes” project will provide valuable materials for these exhibits.

“HISTORY is proud to be working with the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund. Their ‘Hometown Heroes’ project is a perfect example of how students are making history every day by doing research on those memorialized on The Wall,” stated Dr. Libby O’Connell, SVP and Chief Historian, Corporate Outreach, HISTORY.

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