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Wall That Heals Comes to Fairport
Press
release
Yellow Ribbons in Fairport Press
release 2
Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund Founder and President, Jan
Scruggs to speak Press Release 3
Saturday
September 26, 2009 - The Wall That Heals Benefit Golf Tournament
Opening Ceremony
on Thursday August 20 at 7 PM
Closing Ceremony on Sunday August 23 at 6 PM
THE WALL THAT HEALS
The Wall that Heals, a half-scale
replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, DC
will bring the message of The Wall to Fairport from August 20th through
August 23rd, 2009.
Located next to Freedom Hill at Perinton Memorial Veterans of Foreign
Wars Post 8495, the
exhibition will feature the dramatic replica - stretching nearly 250
feet in total length - as well as
an Information Center and traveling museum displaying memorabilia left
at The Wall in Washington DC
The Wall That Heals will arrive with a motorcycle escort starting at
the Geneva Thruway
Exit at 2 PM on August 18 and following Rt 96 to Rt 250 through
Fairport and on to the post.
Opening Ceremony on August 20th at
7 PM
Closing Ceremony on Sunday August
23rd at 6 PM
The Wall will be available
for viewing from August 20 through the 23rd
Motorcycle escort and The Wall That
Heals van arrives in Fairport on August 18th
Photos by Cronkites
The Wall That Heals exhibition is organized by the Vietnam Veterans
Memorial Fund, the organization charged with preserving The Wall in
Washington, D.C. and its vast legacy. National sponsors of the
tour include Disabled American Veterans (DAV) Charitable Trust, Federal
Express, GEICO, Harley Davidson Foundation, Rush Enterprises, and
Target Corporation. Local sponsored are now being contacted.
Editors note: Initial contact to apply for having the Wall at the
post was 2001 Post Commander Pete Swanson
along with other post members.
Rich Gough is the Post 8495 Chairman for this project :
"With
just
months remaining until The Wall That Heals arrives
in Fairport for display on our grounds,
preparations and
plans have begun in
earnest. Several of our committees will have met by the time
you read this,
and
the committee chairmen have begun meeting on a monthly basis to keep
all up to
date on
planning. The excitement is starting to build. Now is the time for each
of us to commit to
making this
event a success by determining how we may help. Each should pick a
committee to
work with, as we
need everyone’s ideas and talent. For your consideration, the
following are the
committee chairs
and what each will be responsible for.
Logistics
– Jim Schenkel Jim and his crew
will be responsible for installing the
wall and setting up the museum, the
information center, grounds and landscaping
and facilities management (power,
trash pickup etc.) Contact Jim for details on how
you may be a part of his
crew.
Pat Cammilleri Pat and our
honor
guard will be responsible for all
ceremonies,
including opening and closing
ceremonies. His committee will coordinate
and work with all
other veterans’
organizations and the military to ensure
dignified
ceremonies. They will
work with all bands and other performers who
will be part of the
ceremonies. Contact
Pat for details and to be part of this
wonderful event.
Public
Information – Dick Grube Dick and
his team will guide all public relations
efforts, including print media,
TV/radio, brochures and artwork as well as fund raising.
Dick is exploring the
possibility of having a professional video made of the events
surrounding the
wall’s visit. Dick will welcome your help, and should be contacted
for details
on how you can be of help.
Education
– Mike Lucci The Wall is an
excellent tool to train our young people
about
the
sacrifices made by all our
veterans who served in Viet Nam.
While school
will not
be in session, Mike will be contacting educators in the
area to make them
aware of
this rare opportunity to have their students
experience the Wall without
traveling
to Washington.
Contact Mike if you can help!
Site
Managers – Jerry Gropp The
wall will be accompanied by two staff
members from Washington.
Jerry will be responsible for securing hotel
accommodations for them and making
their visit as pleasant as possible. In
addition, Jerry will be responsible for
all financial transactions concerning the
Wall. Contact Jerry and offer your
services.
Volunteers
Coordinator – Dick Van
Grol The
volunteer effort to make this
event
a
success is enormous. Dick will need
volunteers for everything from
security,
visitor
assistance, computer name
location, cataloging mementos, first
aid, setup and breakdown and
many other
areas far too numerous to mention.
Contact
Dick
for further information on how
you can help.
And
so, we need your help. We all
have talents that can be used. We want to hear
from you. We want you to be a
part of this wonderful event.
In closing, we have made quite a
financial commitment to bring The Wall That Heals
to our community. Consider a
contribution to our post Wall That Heals
Fund to honor
someone who served in Viet Nam
or elsewhere. Thank you!
"
Rick Gough - Chairman
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:
RICK GOUGH
July 27, 2009
DAYS:
585-738-1905
EVENINGS:
585-381-5197
E
MAIL: ragdmzvet@aol.com
THE WALL THAT HEALS COMES TO
FAIRPORT
The Wall That Heals, a half scale replica
of the Vietnam Veterans
Memorial in Washington, D.C.,
will
bring
the message of The Wall home to Fairport from August 20th to
August
23rd.
Located
on the grounds of Perinton Memorial Post 8495 of the Veterans of
Foreign Wars
at 300 Macedon Center Road,
the
exhibit
will feature the dramatic replica – stretching nearly 250
feet in
total length – as well as the Information
Center and traveling museum
displaying memorabilia left at The Wall in Washington,
D.C.
“The Wall
That Heals transcends the Vietnam War to help our great
nation renew its relationship with veterans of all wars,” said Jan C.
Scruggs,
founder and president, Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund. “It helps
veterans from
all of America’s
conflicts
find
healing and a powerful connection through their common
military
experiences.”
<>
<>In addition to the
opportunity for America
to honor its service members, The Wall
That Heals allows those heroes enshrined on the Memorial to return
symbolically to the places they called home, to exist among friends and
family
once more in the comfort and peace of familiar surroundings.
On August 18th
at 2 PM, a motorcycle escort
by various veterans
groups and volunteer riders from the community will escort the truck
bearing
the replica from Geneva, NY
to the Post Home on Freedom Hill.
The
formal
opening
ceremony
is
planned for 7 PM on
Thursday, August
20th. Scheduled participants include: The Fairport Fire
Department
Band, local vocalist Ms. Aviella Winder, piper Adam Tianello, color
guards from
The U.S Air Force, Chapter 20 Vietnam Veterans of America, The County
Color
Guard of The American Legion, The Masonic War Veterans, VFW Color
Guards from
Patchen - Briggs and Perinton Memorial Post. Speakers include Rev.
Keith
Harrington of the Rochester Presbyterian Home, Jim Smith, Supervisor of
the
Town of Perinton, Dr. Jon
Hunter,
Superintendent of the Fairport
School District, and retired
Major General John Batiste,
president of Klein Steel. Rendering of a rifle salute and the playing
of taps
will be performed by the Honor Guard from Perinton Memorial Post 8495.
The
opening ceremony and the closing ceremony, scheduled for Sunday, August
23rd at
6 PM, are free and open to
the
public. Pastor Steve Hartman of the First
Baptist Church
will speak at the closing ceremony.
The Wall That Heals exhibition is organized
by the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, the organization charged with
preserving
The Wall in Washington, D.C.
and its vast legacy. National sponsors of the tour include Disabled
American
Veterans (DAV) Charitable Trust, Federal Express, GEICO,
Harley-Davidson
Foundation, Rush Enterprises and Target Corporation.
The Wall That Heals is open 24 hours a
day beginning August 20th at 8:00
A.M.
There is no charge for admission. For more information, contact Rick
Gough at
381-5197, ragdmzvet@aol.com or
visit
Perinton Memorial Post 8495 website at www.VFW8495.org
For Immediate
Release August 10, 2009
Yellow Ribbons Honor Vietnam
Veterans
<>In anticipation of the arrival August 18, 2009 of The Wall
That Heals, members of Perinton Memorial Post 8495 of the Veterans of
Foreign
Wars have hung bows on the lamp posts in the Village
of Fairport to honor all veterans who
served in Vietnam.
The
stretch
of Main Street
from Church Street
to the
north side of the canal is the route to be followed by the truck
bearing the
monument. It will be escorted by local law enforcement agencies and a
motorcycle
escort comprised of local veterans and their supporter.
<>The bows comprised of yellow, red and green ribbons signify
the colors of the campaign ribbon earned by all those who served in the
Vietnam
Theater of operations. They also are dedicated to the memory of those
citizens
of Fairport and Perinton who made the ultimate sacrifice in defense of
our
freedom. The names of local casualties Larry James Baker, Richard Lee
Bales,
Larry George Ludwig, Alexander Anthony Roczen and Jeffrey David
Schumacher will
be read aloud during the opening ceremony at 7 PM on Thursday, August 20th.
he ribbons were a generous donation from Kittelberger
Florist and Gifts in Webster. They will hang during the time that The
Wall That
Heals is enshrined on Freedom Hill, 300
Macedon Center Road. The grounds will be
open to the public free
of charge 24 hours a day from August 20th through the
closing
ceremony at 6 PM on Sunday August 23rd.
The public is cordially invited to visit The Wall That
Heals. Handicapped parking is available and there will be volunteers on
the
grounds at all hours to offer assistance at all times while the
monument is on
display.
Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund Founder and
President, Jan Scruggs will be in the Rochester area on August 20 and
will speak at the opening ceremony at 7 pm
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