WHAT: The Dignity Memorial® Vietnam Wall, a three-quarter-scale
traveling replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in
Washington, D.C.
The replica is eight feet high and 240 feet long. Its black,
reflective surface is inscribed with the names of more than
58,000 servicemen and women who died or are missing in Vietnam.
WHERE: Pierce Brothers Valley Oaks Memorial Park
5600 Lindero Canyon Rd.
Westlake Village, Calif. 91362
WHEN: Viewing is open 24 hours a day, Friday, September 4 - Monday,
September 7, 2009.
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 4
10 a.m. Opening Ceremony
Welcome by Daniel Smith III, chairman or the board of directors,
Memorial Honor Detail and Jim Biby, market director, Dignity
Memorial providers; Invocation and Benediction, Dr. Gary Allen
Dicky of Westlake United Methodist Church; Posting of the
Colors; Pledge of Allegiance by members of BSA Troop 485;
National Anthem by Vincent Adams; laying of the wreaths, Keynote
Address by Mr. Gill Gallo, director, Riverside National
Cemetery; Huey helicopter flyover; and "Clearing the Wall"
played by Bill Boetticher on bagpipes.
Reading of the names begins immediately following the ceremony
and continues throughout the weekend.
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 5
7:30 p.m. Candlelight Ceremony
Performances by Rev. Donald Siler, pastor of Mt. Calvary Baptist
Church and lead singer of "The Truth" International Gospel Group
and Mrs. Pat Brown, actress and gospel singer; POW/MIA Ceremony,
narrated by Sgt. Edward Paulus, U.S. Army, interned during World
War II in a Japanese concentration camp from 1942-45 and in an
Indonesian extremist camp from 1945-6; Keynote Address by Sgt.
1st Class John Hosier, U.S. Army, Ret. and executive director,
Vietnam E.R.A.; lighting of the candles.
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 6
2 p.m. Concert
Chumash Indian dance performance; Join the Band, and Bridge of
Sighs.
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 7
10 a.m. Closing Ceremony
Keynote address, Cynthia DF. Nunez, director, Los Angeles
National Cemetery; music performed by Mark Taylor; playing of
"TAPS"; call to the Dignity Memorial Vietnam Wall.
Pierce Brothers Valley Oaks - Griffin Memorial Park, Mortuary and
Crematory, FD 1344 Westlake Village, Calif., is a proud Dignity Memorial
provider. The Dignity Memorial network of more than 1,600 funeral,
cremation and cemetery service providers is North America's most trusted
resource for funeral and memorialization services. Dignity Memorial
providers offer an unmatched combination of products and locations serving
families with care, integrity, respect and service excellence. For more
information, call 818-889-0902 or visit www.DignityMemorial.com.
Editor's Note: Interviews available upon request through weekend.
Contact Information: Contact: Phyllis Grabot 805-341-7269 Jennie Roberts 281-638-6431