The Vietnam Veterans of America, Clermont County Chapter 649 will hold their 33rd annual Memorial Day Ceremony at Union Township Veteran’s Memorial Park on May 26th. The reading of the 415 names of the fallen from the Tri-State area begins at 6:00 a.m. and continues every hour on the hour until the final reading is at 1:00 p.m. The Ceremony begins at 2:00 p.m.
Anyone wishing to read names should show up 15 minutes before the top of the hour. As each name is read, a flag will be placed on one of the 415 crosses that will be displayed in the field near the Helicopter Memorial. Ken Williamson, VVA 649 President said, “this is an excellent time for family members and grandchildren to participate by placing a flag on a cross in memory of a fallen soldier”.
Our keynote speaker will be Gary Knepp, author of “Beyond the Names”. The book, published in 2009, features the stories of 39 Clermont County servicemen who died in Vietnam. The manuscript includes information from interviews with parents, friends and family members of the deceased plus military action reports of how each one died. Additional research at the National Archives in Washington D.D. and a trip to Vietnam resulted in telling each man’s story in an interesting and respectful manner. Gary will be relating the stories of three of those men during our Memorial Day Ceremony.
A golf cart to transport attendees to the Memorial will continuously travel to and from the main parking lot beginning at 10:00 a.m. Forty chairs will be provided by Union Township. Those attending are encouraged to bring lawn chairs. Veterans Memorial Park is located at the corner of Clough Pike and Glen Este-Withamsville Road.
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