From staff reports
More than 300 Vietnam veterans, including four from the area and 30 from Pennsylvania, will be inducted into the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund’s In Memory Program this year.
The program honors Vietnam veterans whose lives were cut short as a result of their service after they returned home from Vietnam.
On June 16, the Memorial Fund will host more than 2,000 attendees at the ceremony on the East Knoll of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C.
The four from the region are:
– Terry Murray Dando of Marienville, U.S. Navy (Dec. 3, 1947-Feb. 19, 2015)
– David Lee DeCorte of Clarion, U.S. Army (March 30, 1949-Aug. 14, 2011)
– David Raymond Ohmer of Spartansburg, U.S. Army (Jan. 19, 1949-June 16, 2013)
“For many Vietnam veterans, coming home from Vietnam was just the beginning of a whole new fight,” said Jim Knotts, president and CEO of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund. “Many never fully recovered, either physically or emotionally, from their experiences. As these veterans pass, it is our duty and solemn promise to welcome them home to the place that our nation has set aside to remember our Vietnam veterans,” Knotts added.
The plaque that honors these veterans was dedicated as a part of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial site in 2004.
The In Memory began in 1999 and has since honored more than 3,200 veterans.
