News Release: Father's Day Ceremony At The Wall

15 June 2006

Congressman Steve Pearce (R-N.M.) will be a featured speaker at the Father's Day Rose Remembrance Ceremony being held at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial on Sunday morning, announced Jan C. Scruggs, founder and president of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund.

Pearce is serving his second term in the U.S. House of Representatives on behalf of New Mexico's second district. Before that, he served in the New Mexico state legislature and owned and operated an oilfield services firm with his wife, Cynthia. An Air Force veteran, he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and Air Medal for his service flying missions into Vietnam. He left the Air Force as a captain.

In the House, Pearce's committee assignments include Homeland Security and Resources.

“Congressman Pearce is a patriot and has been a staunch supporter of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Center,” said Scruggs, referring to the education center that will be built at or near the Memorial. “As a veteran and a father, he understands the importance of remembering the thousands of fathers who made the ultimate sacrifice during the Vietnam War and all American conflicts.”

In addition to Congressman Pearce, the ceremony will also feature Yolanda Acevedo of Virginia, whose husband, Navy Commander Joseph Acevedo, died in Bahrain in 2003 during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Her father, Army Corporal Jose Montes, died in 1968 in Vietnam. His name can be found on Panel 41W, Row 25 of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.

Family members and volunteers will gather near the Memorial at 21st Street and Constitution Avenue at 6:30 a.m. on Father's Day to affix messages of honor and tribute to more than 1,000 roses that will be left at The Wall. Red roses signify soldiers killed in Vietnam, yellow denote soldiers still missing in action, and white stand for those who have died during America's most recent war. Members of the public are invited to participate in the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Father's Day Rose Remembrance. The ceremony will begin at 8:00 a.m.

At the conclusion of the ceremony, which will be held on the East Knoll of the Memorial site, family members, friends and volunteers will read some of the thousands of personal messages sent to the Memorial Fund from across the United States. Then, each of the roses will be laid at the base of The Wall, forming a solemn garden of honor and remembrance.

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, through a series of outreach programs, it is dedicated to preserving the legacy of The Wall, promoting healing, educating about the impact of the Vietnam War and is building the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Center, an underground educational facility, near The Wall.

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