TEXAS GOVERNOR JOINS TEAM FOR VIETNAM VETERANS MEMORIAL CENTER

TEXAS GOVERNOR RICK PERRY JOINS LEADERSHIP TEAM FOR VIETNAM VETERANS MEMORIAL CENTER

Washington, D.C. — Texas Gov. Rick Perry has joined a group of prominent Americans who are providing leadership for the creation of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Education Center, being built on the National Mall near the Lincoln and Vietnam Veterans Memorials, said Jan Scruggs, founder and president of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund.

Perry’s inclusion on the leadership team was announced during the annual Veterans Day Ceremony at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. earlier today.

“We are pleased to have Gov. Perry as part of our team,” Scruggs remarked prior to the Veterans Day ceremony. “His enthusiastic support, as well as that of his fellow Texans, will be key in helping us achieve our goals.”

Perry is especially interested in helping gather photos for the Memorial Center. The exhibit designers plan to feature photos for each of the 58,260 individuals whose names are on The Wall. Perry has pledged to help with this photo drive, scheduled for 2009, but especially to help gather images of those who served from Texas.

A Vietnam-era veteran, Perry served in the U.S. Air Force from 1972-77. He comes from a family tradition of service; his father was a tail gunner in World War II.

Perry has served in elected office for two decades. He was sworn in as governor of Texas in December 2000 and, since then, was elected to a four-year term in 2002 and re-elected in 2006.

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Center is a visitors and education facility being built underground on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Exhibits will include a wall of photographs of those whose names are on The Wall, a selection of the over 100,000 items that have been left at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and a timeline of key military events in the Vietnam War. A section of the Center will illustrate the legacy of service demonstrated by the American people, showing images of those who served in all of America’s conflicts, from the Revolutionary War to Iraq.

The Memorial Center will be built entirely with private funds, including the lead gift of $10 million from Time Warner.

Established in 1979, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund is the nonprofit organization authorized by Congress to build the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. Today, through a series of outreach programs, it is dedicated to preserving the legacy of The Wall, promoting healing, educating about the impact of the Vietnam War and is building the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Center, an underground educational facility, near The Wall.