Past Special Guests/Events

Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund (VVMF) Induction

Schedule of Events: Saturday, June 18th starting at 10 a.m. at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial – Ceremony to induct 2022 In Memory honorees.

How to watch from home:

We will have a live feed of the ceremony in TWO places online.

1 – The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund Facebook page at www.facebook.com/vietnamveteransmemorialfund. If you “like/follow” the page in advance – you should receive a notification when we go live.
2 – For those not on Facebook – we will also have a link on VVMF’s website here – www.vvmf.org/live.

Important notes on the ceremony:

Name Reading and Items provided – A volunteer will read your veteran’s name. Names are NOT read in alphabetical order. We release rows of attendees, and we mix in volunteers to read the names of honorees who have no one in attendance. Please note that if you have asked someone to attend in your place and read your loved one’s name – that person will go home with your items - your tribute certificate, one printed program and one "In Memory" pin. If a volunteer reads the name – those items will be shipped to you about 6-8 weeks after the ceremony along with a DVD of the ceremony.

Other notes:

Is there a way to buy additional tributes and other items? Yes – after the ceremony – you will be able to buy additional tribute certificates -as well as photos taken at the ceremony - here: www.vvmf.org/event-photos. You will also be able to buy additional printed programs, pins and DVDs here: www.vvmf.org/store. If you have any additional ceremony or travel questions, please check our FAQ’s here first: https://www.vvmf.org/In-Memory-Program/In-Memory-Ceremony/

A Call to Honor: Tomb of the Unknown Soldier Replica is Coming to Hendricks County

In commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, a traveling replica of the Tomb of the Unknown Solider will be coming to Hendricks County in May. Avon American Legion Post #145, Brownsburg American Legion Post #331, Brownsburg VFW Post #6128, Danville American Legion Post #118, Pittsboro American Legion Post #426, Plainfield American Legion Post #329, and Wa-Pe-Ke-Way Chapter of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (NSDAR) have partnered together to bring the replica to the Fairgrounds May 18th and 19th.

The half-scale tomb is an exact replica of the Tomb of the Unknown Solider. It is owned and maintained by the Exchange Club of Rome, Ga. The event will kick-off with an opening ceremony at 10 am on Tuesday, May 18th, 2021. The sponsoring partners will each lay a wreath at the replica and invites any business or organization that would like to also lay a wreath to contact (317) 268-6273. After remarks by the group, at the conclusion of the ceremony, Taps will be played.

The display can be seen at the Hendricks County Fairgrounds, Danville in Pavilion A, on Tuesday, May 18th from 10 am to 8:30 pm and Wednesday, May 19th from 10 am to 5 pm. Visitors are encouraged to use the Fair entrance across from the Danville Post Office. Viewing is free to the general public.

Representatives from the Exchange Club, who are all members of the Society of the Honor Guard of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, will give presentations every hour on the hour and will be available to answer questions. Video will be played in a separate area that will provide additional information and history of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and through the video allow the visitors to take a peek into the quarters under the Tomb where the guards live. Exchange Club members will be available all day to provide information on the Tomb and answer questions.

The actual Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington Cemetery includes the remains of unidentified soldiers from World War I, World War II and the Korean War. Remains of the Vietnam soldier originally interred in 1984 were identified using DNA in 1998 and were returned to his family to be interred elsewhere.