More than 760 Vietnam veterans, including one each from Gainesville and Cumming, will be
inducted into the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund’s (VVMF) In Memory Program today.
VVMF believes all those who served in the Vietnam War should be honored and remembered for their
service, a news release says. The In Memory program enables the families and friends of those who came home and later died as a result of their combat experiences the opportunity to have them be forever memorialized.
This year, 768 veterans will be honored during the ceremony including ten from Georgia. Among them are:
Thomas L. Carlton
Gainesville
June 24, 1932 – September 9, 2021
https://www.vvmf.org/Honor-Roll/503987/Thomas-L-Carlton
James E. Kleen
Cumming, Georgia
August 28, 1947 – August 30, 2024
https://www.vvmf.org/Honor-Roll/503773/James-E-Kleen
“For many Vietnam veterans, coming home from Vietnam was just the beginning of a whole new fight.
Many never fully recovered, either physically or emotionally, from their experiences. As these
veterans pass, it is our duty and solemn promise to welcome them home to the place that our nation
has set aside to remember our Vietnam veterans,” said Jim Knotts, president and CEO of VVMF.
Today’s In Memory ceremony will be shown live on VVMF’s Facebook page
(https://www.facebook.com/VietnamVeteransMemorialFund) and on VVMF’s website
(www.vvmf.org/live) beginning at 10 a.m. ET on June 20, 2026. The recorded video of the In Memory
ceremony will be made available shortly after the conclusion of the ceremony.
About the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund
The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund (VVMF) is the nonprofit organization that founded the Vietnam
Veterans Memorial (The Wall) in Washington, D.C. in 1982. VVMF continues to lead the way in
paying tribute to our nation’s Vietnam veterans and their families. VVMF’s mission is to honor and
preserve the legacy of service in America and educate all generations about the impact of the
Vietnam War and era. To learn more about VVMF, visit www.vvmf.org or call 202-393-0090.