AVVA & The In Memory Plaque

BY MARY BRUZZESE

Former AVVA President Mary Miller’s husband Tom is not listed on The Wall. But his service in Vietnam ultimately led to his death. Tom Miller died of Agent Orange-related lung cancer in November 1993 at the age of 57. He was exposed to Agent Orange while serving in Da Nang in 1965 and the DMZ in 1969. “I have a photo of him standing in a forest, and it looks burnt down all around him from the Agent Orange,” Mary Miller said.

Ruth Coder Fitzgerald’s brother, John, who died of Agent Orange-related non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 1992, also is not listed on The Wall. Coder Fitzgerald began corresponding with others who had lost loved ones due to Agent Orange exposure in Vietnam; many encouraged her to work for an official commemorative plaque. “They’re dead because of Vietnam, but no one seems to recognize them,” Coder Fitzgerald said.

Coder Fitzgerald conceived of the Vietnam War In Memory Plaque Project in 1995 as a way to honor those, like her brother, who had died as a result of their service. To get publicity for her project, she mailed information to as many people as possible and created a website. She began calling members of Congress, but mostly spoke with their aides.

Coder Fitzgerald also contacted her local VVA chapters, Piedmont Area Chapter 752 in Culpeper, Virginia, and Battlefield Chapter 617 in Woodbridge, and gained their support. The chapters put her in contact with VVA National. In 1998 she made a presentation to the VVA Public Affairs Committee requesting support. “When they said they wanted to endorse it, my eyes teared up,” Coder Fitzgerald said.

VVA began lobbying on Capitol Hill in support of the project. VVA’s imprimatur also helped the effort gain more publicity. “It helped to be able to say, ‘Hey, VVA supports this,’ ” Coder Fitzgerald said.

The idea eventually was brought to the attention of Rep. Elton Gallegly (R-Calif.), who in 1999 introduced a bill for the plaque’s installation. A similar bill was introduced by Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell (R-Colo.). VVA testified before Congress twice, urging that the bills be passed. VVA members also were encouraged to contact their Senators and Representatives to urge their support. The bills passed in May 2000 and were signed into law in June.

Coder Fitzgerald’s and VVA’s efforts resulted in the installation of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Commemorative Plaque—the In Memory Plaque. The plaque is a two-by-three-foot granite slab that reads: “In memory of the men and women who served in the Vietnam War and later died as a result of their service. We honor and remember their sacrifice.” The plaque was officially dedicated near the Vietnam Veterans Memorial with a candlelight ceremony hosted by VVA on November 10, 2004.

The plaque was always intended to be simple and unobtrusive. “It was meant to be a complement, rather than something to stand on its own,” Coder Fitzgerald said. After the plaque was finally approved, the project was handed over to the American Battle Monuments Commission, which supervised its installation.

The final execution of the plaque, however, did not completely match its intended design and placement. The original design called for the plaque to be raised and canted, placed across from the apex of The Wall, and accompanied by signage and lighting. Instead, the plaque sits flat on the ground adjacent to the Three

Servicemen statue. There is no signage or lighting. Because of its placement on the ground, it is walked on daily and flooded when it rains. Due to the absence of lighting, the plaque cannot be seen at night.

Ruth Coder Fitzgerald would like to see improvements made to the plaque. VVA and AVVA support those efforts. Delegations have gone to the National Park Service and the Battle Monuments Commission to ask for help. The plaque was replaced in May. The lettering on the new stone is inlaid with bronze to increase its visibility.

“It’s still not what we want,” AVVA President Nancy Switzer said, “although it’s so much better than what it was before.”

When the plaque was installed in 2004, Ruth Coder Fitzgerald said people told her: “You have given us a place to meet and to mourn our loved ones.” The In Memory Plaque “is something that means a lot to a lot of people who are looking for some type of acknowledgement,” Miller added. Coder Fitzgerald said that she and others who have lost loved ones see the plaque as “a validation” of their sacrifice.

“This is a plaque that, before you know it, will be honoring more people than are on The Wall,” Switzer said. “I know that one day I’ll be there as a widow, honoring my husband Richard, who has Agent Orange-related prostate cancer. It’s very emotional for the widows and widowers. This plaque is their monument. The power in that small slab of stone is unbelievable. It’s a healing thing.”