Dedication of the only memorial to veterans of the Vietnam War built solely with federal funding on Veterans Day 2012

ARLINGTON, Va., Nov. 7, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- This Veterans Day the American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) will dedicate two new pavilions at the Honolulu Memorial as part of the annual Veterans Day Ceremony at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.  The ceremony is scheduled for Sunday, Nov. 11 at 10:00 a.m. Hawaiian time with Senator. Daniel Akaka of Hawaii serving as the Keynote speaker.

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One of the pavilions will specifically commemorate those Americans who served in the Vietnam War.  The new Vietnam War Pavilion combined with the current Vietnam War Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial constitutes the only memorial to veterans of the Vietnam War built solely with federal funds.

"This is especially appropriate as the United States starts it's commemoration of the 50^th anniversary of the Vietnam War," said ABMC Secretary Max Cleland,  former Senator from Georgia and Vietnam Veteran. 

Located on the grounds of the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, the Honolulu Memorial was dedicated in 1966 to honor the sacrifices and achievements of American's armed forces in the Pacific during World War II and the Korean War.  The memorial grew in 1980 to include the missing of the Vietnam War.  As part of the memorial, there are large mosaic maps explaining the major military campaigns in the Pacific during World War II and Korea.  This year, two mosaic maps will be added to complete the memorial and help tell the story of those Americans who served in Vietnam. 

The two mosaic maps show the overall theater of the Vietnam War and the sites of major battles fought during the conflict.  The mosaic maps are unique works of art keeping in tradition with the World War II and Korean War maps at the memorial.  The method used to produce the mosaics utilize a variety of cements, pigments, ground glass and sand to replicate the mosaic maps constructed in the 1960's.  

The maps will be housed in one of two pavilions constructed from Travertine stone quarried from Idaho.  The second new pavilion will house porcelain panels depicting ABMC commemorative sites in the Pacific and providing an orientation to the Honolulu Memorial.  The Honolulu District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers managed the $5.2 million construction project for ABMC. 

"This memorial would not be possible without the hard work of all government agencies and private contractors involved who worked tirelessly to ensure project completion for Veterans Day," said Cleland.  "We at the American Battle Monuments Commission are proud of the new additions to the Honolulu Memorial and feel the additions appropriately commemorate and honor America's Vietnam War Veterans." 

About the American Battle Monuments Commission:

Established by Congress in 1923, the American Battle Monuments Commission commemorates the service, achievements and sacrifice of U.S. armed forces. ABMC administers 24 overseas military cemeteries, and 25 memorials, monuments and markers.  For more information visit www.abmc.gov. 

For more information on the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, please visit http://www.cem.va.gov/CEMs/nchp/nmcp.asp

CONTACT:
ABMC Public Affairs
Phone: 703-696-6789
National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific
Phone: 808-532-3720

SOURCE American Battle Monuments Commission