Check out the article that appeared from Lisa Friedman in the Washington bureau
Honoring Private Fido: Push on for national memorial to U.S. 'war dogs', LISA FRIEDMAN, Washington Bureau, June 24, 2007,
lisa.friedman@langnews.com, (202) 662-8731
Help For Family Members
Veterans Names Not Inscribed on the Memorial
Book Released, "Letters on the Wall", by Michael Sofarelli (Preface by Maya Lin), focus is on offerings
and remembrances from the Vietnam Veterans Memorial
Touch the Wall is a unique look at the lives of our heroes on the Vietnam Veterans
Memorial. Throughout my years volunteering at the Vietnam Memorial and The Moving Wall, I
have been sharing information focusing on all facets of these veterans, and deciphering
fact from fiction. I am introducing myself as not only an educated resource, but a
well-versed volunteer assistant helping to host your Moving Wall event.
I provide information about our Prisoners of War (POW), Missing in Action (MIA), ordering
or returning the POW/MIA bracelets, linking to Sons and Daughters In Touch and the Dog
Handlers Association, and interesting facts about the veterans on the memorial.
The discrepancies on the memorial have never been explained or addressed. Touch the Wall
will clarify and resolve these inaccuracies, as well as giving a venue to report any
previously unnoticed errors.
The development of Touch the Wall will be ongoing since it has taken me over twelve years
to research and gather all the information, so please check back frequently for updates.
Alternatively, you can join the mailing list to be sent occasional news items.
I care because many in my generation can no longer "touch the wall" for themselves.
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I had introduced this amazing Marine soldier to everyone a few months ago. He had been assigned to protect another Marine Dustin Lee who lost his life in
Iraq. Lex was left without his partner but for the next 8 months, the Lee family had been trying to adopt him. The Marines told them No! Over and over again.
Then the Marines refused to return their calls. John Burnam, himself a retired Vietnam veteran dog handler with the Vietnam Dog Handlers Association, got involved
even though he was heading up a National movement to have approved a National monument in Washington DC for all war dogs. He was contacted by the Lee family
(November 8, 2007). They asked for my help. He wrote a short story, "My Partner Dustin" from the perspective of Lex (the war dog which I had on my website for the
last two months.
On Nov 13, 2007 John met with Congressman Jones on some other business and decided to take the story along. I read Jones the story and told him that the
Lee family have been trying to adopt Lex for 8 months with no luck. After reading my story aloud to him in his office, Congressman Jones had tears in his eyes and
then went to work. He called the Lee family on the phone while I was sitting there and then raised the issue to the Marine Corps Generals at the Pentagon and
demanded immediate action. Congressman Jones andJohnI did a team effort on radio shows and TV news and print news in Georgia and Mississippi. The Marines finally caved in after 8 months
of telling the Lee family No! No! No! In less than a month the adoption was approved!!!
The Internet petition also worked (3200+ posts) to create public pressure (thank you to anyone who sent in your petition). So there were many others that helped
the Lee family get Lex adopted. Now it is a done deal and "national news." Lex will be home by Christmas. John had so many phone calls and emails with the Lee
family and the media. It's been very fulfilling as a Vietnam Vet to help a "today family" with a war dog adoption.
Go to Congressman Jones website:
http://jones.house.gov/release.cfm?id=601
John had written that " Lex was not a young pup
anymore, he was at retirement age and he want to spend the rest of his life with the Lee family. It’s where he now belongs! Now it's a Christmas present all in itself!!!!
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For years, volunteers working with the veteran communities have had to keep a look-out for individuals bragging about their military service, their medals and
involvement in various conflicts. Up until a few years ago, all we could do was report their activities and list them on various look out watch lists.
Throughout these investigations, many documents are posted to help people seek out these "wanna bes" in order to correctly document their activities and wave
a red flag for anyone caught in this fictitious scenario.
Supporting Documents
On December 20, 2006, signed by the President. "Should any who are not entitled to these honors have the insolence to assume the badges of them, they shall
be severely punished." The bill states: S. 1998, the "Stolen Valor Act of 2005," which expands criminal penalties for fraud relating to military decorations and
medals;
Read the full background and history of this amazing and fully supported legislation effecting military awards since the Medal of Honor review of 1917. Background and History of this Law
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When the Vietnam Veterans Memorial was erected in 1982, names were supplied
by the various Services known to have died in the war-zone boundaries or died
as a result of the war elsewhere. Each Service provided the Vietnam Veterans
Memorial Fund (VVMF) - designated as the administrator of the Memorial - databases
that included such things as date of birth, home city, date of death, race, religion,
etc.
If a family notices that any of the information is incorrect,
this is the procedure to follow to get it resolved:
First, the family needs to understand that there are numerous "Vietnam Wall"
databases on the Internet that contain information about the name, and that
none of these organizations (including VVMF) can, or will, make any changes
without approval from Department of Defense (DoD). Any attempts to contact
them, even with verification, will normally be ignored.
The most common mistakes and or discrepancies in these databases are:
- Any part of the name misspelled
- Date of Birth (DOB)
- Home of Record (HOR) - where the individual was living at time of enlistment
and/or drafted
Only the DoD Casualty Office in Washington, DC is authorized to allow a
discrepancy to be officially changed. The new data will then be transmitted
on updates on a periodic basis to the public - usually every 2-3 years. It's
been our experience that only the VVMF website (WWW.VVMF.org) will
make such changes after DoD approval in a timely manner.
All casualty information for Vietnam is handled by the Pentagon's Washington
Headquarters Services (WHS), Directorate for Information and Reports (DIOR).
Any changes to public data should be requested through them, along with some
type of proof that the change should be made (e.g. birth certificate, death
certificate, etc).
Therefore, please send these request for changes with the appropriate
documentation to:
Sharon Denitto
3727 Pin Oaks Street
Sarasota FL
34232-1239
Or fax me: 941-362-2962
or email me: Request for Information Change
On your behalf, I will forward the request and documents to Mr. Tom Campbell,
WHS/DIOR. I will also follow up on your requests and keep you informed of the
progress of your submission. I have been assured that every documented submission
will be investigated. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me.
Be sure to identify the family connection, as they will normally act on cases where
a next-of-kin (NOK) is involved. If the issue involves a misspelled
name on the Memorial, it is up to the family to request that the name be re-etched
correctly. This must be written within the request.
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There has never been a venue for family members who feel that their loved one was denied for a reason or
inadvertently not included on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
Please contact me Special Request with the veterans name, date of birth,
date of casualty, reason for denial and cause of death. All emails will be respectfully handled.
Congratulations from American Veteran Search, we are proud to announce that your website was chosen for the Top 10 Patriotic Site Award. We have
spent some time reviewing thoroughly your "Touch the Wall" site. We are incredibly amazed at the growth and the competent manor in which you have taken to
bring this worthwhile endeavor to America's veterans.
www.veteransearch.com
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