A charity is organizing volunteers to clean the Vietnam Veterans Memorial during the first week of December in observance of the war's 50th anniversary.
The NewDay USA Foundation, an arm of veterans mortgage lender NewDay USA, is organizing an event on Dec. 2 that will feature speeches from a number of veterans and charity leaders. Retired Rear Admiral Thomas C. Lynch USN, executive chairman of NewDay USA; Jan Scruggs, president emeritus of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund; Andrew Brennan, executive director of the Global War on Terror Memorial Foundation; and James Pierce, a National Park Service ranger, will all be speaking at the event on the National Mall.
"Our nation’s veterans have served selflessly, and in many cases veterans courageously risked their lives protecting the liberty and freedom we hold dear," Lynch said. "When the Vietnam war ended, many of our veterans returned home to no fanfare, no homecoming parades, no thank you from a grateful nation. We remember and embrace the service and the sacrifice of our Vietnam veterans and the family members who supported them. We sincerely thank them for their service."
After listening to the speeches, the volunteers who gather for the event will then wash and clean the Vietnam Veterans Memorial wall. NewDay USA said many of its employees will join in on the cleaning effort.
"NewDay employees regularly volunteer their time in support of our veteran community," Regina Lowrie, executive director of the NewDay USA Foundation, said. "Today marks another day of service on our National Mall where our employees volunteer time to wash and care for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial as a show of respect to the men and women who served. This activity exemplifies what NewDay USA and our foundation are all about."