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Vietnam Vets Honored in DC

58,256 names being read this week, marking memorial wall's 25th anniversary

By Zach Samalin,  Newser Staff

Posted Nov 9, 2007 7:19 PM CST
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(Newser) – Veterans and loved ones are braving Washington, D.C.'s cold temps this week to honor those who fell or vanished in Vietnam, the Chicago Tribune reports. Marking the Vietnam memorial's 25th anniversary, they started reading its 58,256 names aloud this week, and plan to finish tomorrow. This is the fourth time the 65-hour ceremony has been undertaken.

Readers include Vietnam vets, active servicemen and children who hardly knew their fallen fathers. "Because he is missing, there's no place for us to go," said Jill Hubbs, who was 10 when her father disappeared. "This place means a lot; it's a place to come and honor him." One vet said that Sunday will be the first Veterans Day he’s spent with ex-soldiers at the memorial. "It's a very special time,” he said.

A visitor is reflected in the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, Friday, Nov. 9, 2007. The memorial which bears the names of those who either died or remain missing in action in Vietnam, etched in black granite, is reaching its 25th anniversary of the site's dedication. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
A visitor is reflected in the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, Friday, Nov. 9, 2007. The memorial which bears the names of those who either died or remain missing in action in Vietnam, etched...   (Associated Press)
A portrait of Army Specialist 4th Class Peter Michael Apodaca, from San Bruno, Calif., who died in on May 31, 1967, is seen at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, Friday, Nov. 9, 2007. The memorial which bears the names of those who either died or remain missing in action...
A portrait of Army Specialist 4th Class Peter Michael Apodaca, from San Bruno, Calif., who died in on May 31, 1967, is seen at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, Friday, Nov. 9, 2007. The memorial...   (Associated Press)
An American flag is seen at the foot of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, Friday, Nov. 9, 2007. The memorial which bears the names of those who either died or remain missing in action in Vietnam, etched in black granite, is reaching its 25th anniversary of the site's dedication....
An American flag is seen at the foot of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, Friday, Nov. 9, 2007. The memorial which bears the names of those who either died or remain missing in action in Vietnam,...   (Associated Press)
Vietnam veterans, from left, Vance Elliott from Chattanooga, Tenn., Lee Knight from Ringo, Ga. and Charlie Hobbs from Chattanooga, Tenn. pause at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, Friday, Nov. 9, 2007. The memorial which bears the names of those who either died or remain missing in action in Vietnam,...
Vietnam veterans, from left, Vance Elliott from Chattanooga, Tenn., Lee Knight from Ringo, Ga. and Charlie Hobbs from Chattanooga, Tenn. pause at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, Friday,...   (Associated Press)
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