Two Delaware veterans to be inducted into In Memory Program
More than 500 Vietnam veterans, including two from Delaware, will be inducted into the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund’s In Memory Program in 2023.
Since the Vietnam War ended, thousands of Vietnam veterans have suffered due to Agent Orange exposure, PTSD and other illnesses as a result of their service. VVMF organizers believe all those who served in Vietnam should be honored and remembered for their service. The In Memory Program enables families and friends of those who came home and later died to have them forever memorialized.
The 2023 In Memory ceremony will be held at 10 a.m., Saturday, June 17, on the East Knoll of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., where each 2023 honoree’s name will be read aloud. This year, 567 service members will be honored during the ceremony.
“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, VVMF president and CEO.
The plaque that honors these veterans was dedicated as part of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial site in 2004. It reads: “In Memory of the men and women who served in the Vietnam War and later died as a result of their service. We honor and remember their sacrifice.”
2023 In Memory inductees from Delaware are Timothy L. Braucht Sr., U.S. Army, Lewes, Aug. 29, 1951 to Sept. 27, 2022; and Joseph Kopec Jr., U.S. Navy, Newark, March 22, 1945 to Jan. 1, 2022.
VVMF has created a personal remembrance page for each honoree online as part of the In Memory Honor Roll at vvmf.org/honor-roll. Their photos will also be displayed around the country when VVMF’s mobile exhibit, The Wall That Heals, is on display in an honoree’s home state.
The 2023 In Memory ceremony will be shown live on VVMF’s Facebook page.
The In Memory Program was created in 1993 and has since honored more than 6,000 veterans. For more information on the In Memory Program or to apply to have a loved one honored in 2024, go to vvmf.org/inmemory.
