Three fallen service members whose names have been added to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial will be honored as part of Monday's Memorial Day observance in front of the panels of polished black granite, according to a recent news release from the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund.
Five additional service members whose names already appear on the memorial will have their status updated from missing in action to deceased after their remains were accounted for last year.
The additions will raise the number of names on the memorial to 58,318. The newest names, which already have been etched into the monument:
- Marine Cpl. Kenneth R. McGuire, of Rib Lake, Wisconsin.
- Army Sgt. John T. Whitson, of Huntsville, Texas.
- Army Sgt. Edward L. Wilmers, of Lapeer, Michigan.
All three service members were evacuated from the combat zone with severe injuries and later died. The Defense Department determines which service members can be listed on the memorial, while the VVMF pays to add the names.
Names followed by a diamond on the wall denote confirmed deaths. Names followed by a cross represent service members who are considered missing in action. The symbol after the names of five service members has been changed from a cross to a diamond:
- Army Sgt. 1st Class Alan L. Boyer, of Missoula, Montana.
- Air Force Col. William E. Campbell, of McAllen, Texas.
- Navy Lt. Cmdr. Frederick P. Crosby, of Orlando, Florida.
- Air Force Maj. Dean A. Klenda, of Marion, Kansas.
- Air Force Col. Patrick H. Wood, of Kansas City, Mo.
Monday's ceremony is free to the public and begins at 1 p.m. Documentarians Ken Burns and Lynn Novick, whose PBS series on the Vietnam War will debut in September, are slated to give keynote remarks, according to the news release.
Kevin Lilley is the features editor of Military Times.
