Never forgotten: 360 photos of North Carolina Vietnam War heroes still needed

Photos of Vietnam heroes needed for inclusion in The Education Center at The Wall in Washington, D.C.

The people of the state of North Carolina suffered among the greatest number of losses in the Vietnam War, sacrificing 1,610 service-men and women in combat. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund’s mission to honor these heroes continues with the National Call for Photos, a movement to collect photos of the more than 58,000 service-members inscribed on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, DC. When collected, all photos will be displayed for generations to come at The Education Center at The Wall, a place on our National Mall where our military heroes' stories and sacrifice will never be forgotten.
With the support of schools, volunteers, friends and family from around the country, VVMF has collected more than 25,000 pictures to date, including 1,250 from the state of North Carolina.
The task is far from complete. Generous support from volunteers, fellow service-members, family and friends is still needed in order to gather the remaining 360 photos necessary to honor our heroes from North Carolina for display at The Education Center.
With a groundbreaking planned for November, The Education Center at The Wall is a multi-million dollar, state-of-the-art visitor’s center and learning facility to be built on the grounds of the Vietnam Veterans and the Lincoln Memorials. Visitors will better understand the profound impact the Vietnam War had their friends and family members, their home towns and the nation. The Education Center will feature the faces of the 58,272 men and women on “The Wall,” and will forever honor those who fell in Vietnam. Those who fought and returned, as well as the friends and families of all who served and perished, will have their stories shared. For more information, visit www.buildthecenter.org.
“North Carolina suffered some of the highest casualty rates of any state in the Vietnam War,” said Jan C. Scruggs, founder and president of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund. “The Education Center at The Wall will allow Americans to put faces with the names of brave men and women who lost their lives, fostering their appreciation and respect for generations to come.”
VVMF urges the citizens of North Carolina to assist the National Call for Photos by submitting photographs of fallen service-members and generously supporting the Education Center, ensuring that the sacrifices of our military heroes are never forgotten.

How to submit a photo
If you have a picture of a loved one or fellow veteran whose name is on The Wall, please help the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund honor these individuals by putting a face with their name. You may use either of the following methods to submit your photograph:
Submit online
If you have a digital copy of the photograph, you can upload the photograph at http://vvmf.org/submit_other.
Mail a copy of your photograph
Make a copy of your photo. VVMF does not want original photos and cannot be responsible for returning photos. When having the photo copied, ask the photo professional to make it the highest quality possible, use a glossy finish and reproduce the photo at an 8 x 10 size, if possible. Be sure to include the photo submission form and indicate on the front of the envelope that a photo is enclosed. Mail to:
Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund
Attn: Call for Photos
2600 Virginia Avenue, NW, Suite 104
Washington, D.C. 20037
For more information about how to add a photograph to the collection, please contact VVMF at (202) 393-0090 or via email at mjohnson@vvmf.org.

About VVMF and the Education Center at The Wall
Established in 1979, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund is dedicated to preserving the legacy of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., promoting healing and educating about the impact of the Vietnam War. The Education Center at The Wall is a place on our National Mall where our military heroes' stories and sacrifice will never be forgotten.
Support the Education Center at The Wall by visiting www.buildthecenter.org, calling 866-990-WALL, or by texting "WALL" to 2022.

Program focuses on people of color in the American Revolution

During Black History Month, the N.C. Museum of History and the Sons of the American Revolution will present the program Return to Tradition highlighting a lesser-known fact about the American Revolution: significant numbers of people of color fought for the Patriots during the war.
This free program on Saturday, Feb. 25, from 10 a.m. to noon in Raleigh features keynote speaker Brig. Gen. James Gorham, the first African American general in the N.C. Army National Guard. His talk will focus on these soldiers who served in integrated troops during the war for independence.
“Though nearly lost to history, these Patriots of color served as equals in the typical regiment of Continental soldiers,” said Earl Ijames, Curator at the N.C. Museum of History.

First African American in North Carolina Will Be Inducted Into SAR
Another program highlight will center on Raleigh resident Chaz Moore, whose enslaved ancestor, Tobias “Toby” Gilmore, fought for the Patriots in the American Revolution. During a brief installation ceremony, Moore will be the first African American in North Carolina inducted into the Sons of the American Revolution. He is a firefighter with the Raleigh Fire Department.
Moore’s ancestor was born in coastal West Africa as Shibodee Turrey Wurry. At age 16, around 1758, this son of a chieftain was kidnapped by slave traders and sent to Rhode Island aboard the slave ship Dove. He was purchased by Capt. John Gilmore of Massachusetts and became known as Tobias Gilmore. He enlisted in the Continental Army and fought in several major battles.
Learn more about this lesser-known, yet important, part of our nation’s history during Return to Tradition on Feb. 25 at the Museum of History.

Hagan comments on Department of Defense report opening more jobs to servicewomen

U.S. Sen. Kay R. Hagan (D—N.C.), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and Chair of the Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities, on Friday, Feb. 10, commented on the Pentagon’s decision to allow women to serve in more jobs closer to the front lines.
“Since coming to the Senate, I have fought to ensure America’s servicewomen are afforded the same opportunities for promotion as their male counterparts,” said Hagan. “The Pentagon’s recommendation is welcome progress and will open up more than 14,000 additional jobs to women in the Armed Forces. Nevertheless, more must be done to provide women in the Armed Services equal opportunities for advancement.
“I have long said that the armed forces must come up with a mechanism to give women the same leadership opportunities as their male counterparts so that they can equitably compete for advancement and promotion. Military women deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan have been engaged in activities that are consideredcombat-related, including serving side by side with combat units and engaging in direct combat for self defense. These brave women are exposed to the same risks as their male counterparts—including IEDs—and should be eligible for the same opportunities for advancement. As a proud member of a military family, I have nothing but the utmost respect for our troops—both men and women—and the rigorous training they undergo.”
The Pentagon’s announcement in a Department of Defense report required by the 2011 National Defense Authorization Act, which Senator Hagan supported. The report notified Congress that the Department of Defense intends to make two changes to rules in place since 1994 governing the service of female members of the armed forces: first, occupations will no longer be closed to women solely because the positions are required to be co-located with ground combat units; and second, a sizable number of positions will be opened to women at the battalion level in select direct ground combat units in specific occupations. Department of Defense will also continue to assess their experience with these changes to help determine whether future modifications to the 1994 rules are appropriate.
Hagan is proud and honored to have had the aid of four servicewomen in her Senate Office. Navy Veteran Jean Reaves served as a WAVE during the Vietnam era. Today, Reaves provides Veteran Affairs Services for Senator Hagan’s office. North Carolina National Guard Cpt. Jennifer Hartsock is currently Senator Hagan’s Military Liason. Hartsock served more than five years of active duty in the Army after graduating from West Point, including a 2007 Iraq tour as a Battle Captain with a Combat Engineer Unit. Lt. Col. Kristin McCann is a United States Marine and serves as a Defense Legislative Fellow to Senator Hagan. Captain Laura Keenan preceded Lt. Col. McCann as the Senator's Defense Legislative Fellow.

Hagan hails federal, state partnership protecting the military community

U.S. Sen. Kay R. Hagan (D—N.C.), a member of the Senate Armed Services and Banking Committees and an advocate for consumer protections, Friday, Jan. 27, hailed a new federal-state partnership and the development of a database to combat consumer financial fraud directed at military members, veterans and their families. The Repeat Offenders Against Military Database was developed by the Department of Defense, the Federal Trade Commission and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
“The development of this database is a huge service to North Carolina, which has the third largest military footprint in the nation,” said Hagan, who sits on the Senate Armed Services and Banking Committees. “Too often, our servicemembers and their families become victims of unlawful or predatory financial practices. Last May, I was proud to host a roundtable at Fort Bragg with Holly Petraeus, who heads the CFPB's Office of Servicemember Affairs, to hear from military leaders and families about the unique financial challenges facing our military communities. I will continue working to ensure that our servicemembers and their families, who sacrifice so much for our country, are protected from predatory financial practices.”
The ROAM Database will track completed enforcement actions against companies and individuals who repeatedly scam military personnel. Law enforcement officials across the country—including state attorneys general, United States attorneys, and judge advocates from all five branches of the armed forces—will be able to search the ROAM Database for publicly available information about completed civil and criminal legal actions against perpetrators of financial scams aimed at military personnel, veterans and their families.
Law enforcement officials can contribute data and request access to the database, which should be up and running by early February, by sending an email to ROAMDatabase@cfpb.gov.
Hagan is a member of the Senate Armed Services and Banking Committees, and she is a founding member of the Military Family Caucus. She cosponsored the Protecting Servicemembers from Mortgage Abuses Act to protect military families from wrongful foreclosures.
Hagan hails from a strong military family—her father-in-law was a two-star Marine General; her brother and father served in the Navy; her husband, Chip, is a Vietnam veteran who used the GI Bill to help pay for law school; and she has two nephews who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Events mark the Civil War arrival in North Carolina in 1862

This year marks the 150th anniversary of when the Civil War came home to North Carolina in 1862. Union Gen. Ambrose Burnside captured Roanoke Island in February, New Bern in March and Fort Macon in April. Takeover of North Carolina's coast was meant to stop supplies to the Confederate Army through the state's ports.
On the 150th anniversary, those events and many others will be reviewed in a series of programs at historic sites and museums statewide.
"The Lights of the Great Armada: The 147th Anniversary of the Battle of Fort Fisher," Jan. 21 to 22, will focus on the Navy and Marines and the maritime war. Small arm and artillery demonstrations, presentations by U.S. Coast Guard Chief Historian Dr. Robert Browning, U.S. Marine Corps Historical Company representatives Larry Bopp and Steve Bockmiller, and N.C. Department of Cultural Resources Deputy State Archaeologist Mark Wilde-Ramsing, are among activities scheduled.
Two programs in Durham focusing on the enslaved are scheduled for February. At Historic Stagville on Feb. 12, "To Free A Family" will include a free lecture and book signing by Dr. Sydney Nathans, Duke University history professor emeritus. At Bennett Place on Feb. 16, Reginald Hildebrand, UNC-Chapel Hill historian, will lecture on "The First Year of Freedom in North Carolina: Pursuing Freedom with the Hoe and the Sword, the Book and the Lord." Admission will be charged.
A symposium, "Thunder in the East: The Civil War in Eastern North Carolina," will be presented by Tryon Palace and the New Bern Historical Society on March 10, featuring Civil War historians Ed Bearrs and Mark Bradley, and Hari Jones, curator of the African American Civil War Memorial and Museum in Washington, D.C. It is one of the events in the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources Civil War Sesquicentennial Commemoration (Civil War 150).
A Civil War medical program, "War So Terrible," at Bentonville Battlefield in Four Oaks on March 17 and 18, will compare and contrast medical practices of the Civil War to 21st century treatment in Iraq and Afghanistan. U.S. Army and Marine Corps triage units will participate dependent on availability. Candlelight tours of the Harper House, which served as a field hospital in 1865, will allow visitors to see the medical setting and experience the search for a loved one at that time.
The exhibit, "Watched by Sound and Sea: Occupied Beaufort, 1862" continues at the N.C. Maritime Museum in Beaufort through September. It features artifacts from the period and will present a speaker each month.
The April 26 through 28 "Flags Over Hatteras" Symposium will feature historians James McPherson, Ed Bearss, Craig Symonds and others speaking at the Hatteras Village Civic Center. A Civil War Trails marker will be unveiled during the weekend, and the "Flags Over Hatteras" exhibit will continue through July at the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum.
Other lectures and programs will occur during the year and through April 2015. A traveling photography exhibit "Freedom, Sacrifice, Memory: The Civil War Sesquicentennial Photography Exhibit" is visiting libraries and museums in the state through May 2013.
The N.C. Office of Archives and History oversees the state's sesquicentennial observance, which includes production of posters, symposia, a vehicle license plate, an atlas and other books, and other commemorative activities through 2015. The Office of Archives and History is part of the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources.

President honored troops returning from Iraq at Fort Bragg

On Wednesday, Dec. 14th, President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama traveled to Ft. Bragg where they delivered remarks to troops. As the country ends America’s war in Iraq this month, the President wanted to speak directly to the troops at Ft. Bragg and to members of the Armed Forces and their families everywhere. The President spoke about the enormous sacrifices and achievements of the brave Americans who served in the Iraq War, and he spoke about the extraordinary milestone of bringing the war in Iraq to an end. Like many other military installations across this nation, during the war in Iraq, service members from Ft. Bragg—and their families—have provided remarkable service to the country through their deployments to Iraq.

Hagan votes for National Defense Authorization Act

Hagan/Portman combat Casualty Care Amendment aims to provide troops better care and increase mortality

U.S. Sen. Kay R. Hagan (D-N.C.) on Thursday, Dec. 1, voted for the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which authorizes funding for the Department of Defense and all military and defense related activities. Hagan’s Combat Casualty Care Amendment was included in the final NDAA bill. Hagan also voted in favor of provisions under NDAA that would clarify the applicability of requirements for military custody with respect to detainees. The NDAA bill passed the Senate by a vote of 93 to 7.
“I am committed to ensuring our servicemembers, veterans and their families have all the resources and support they need and deserve,” Hagan said. “This bill provides our troops those resources, support, protections and authorities they need to carry out their missions.”
The Combat Casualty Care Amendment that Hagan introduced on Nov. 17 with Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) requires the Department of Defense to carry out a study on measures to improve combat casualty care and increase the number of lives saved on the battlefield.
“This amendment will help guarantee those serving in combat zones receive the very best combat casualty care, and could help save lives on the battlefield,” Hagan said. “It is our duty to do everything we can to provide our the men and women serving on the frontlines with the absolute best care. They deserve nothing less.”
To view the Hagan/Portman Combat Casualty Care Amendment in full, please click here.
Hagan also voted in support of amendments to the NDAA introduced by Sen. Diane Feinstein that would clarify provisions related to detention of terrorists. Feinstein Amendment No. 1456 passed the Senate by a vote of 99 to 1 and was included in the final NDAA.
"My top priority is to provide our country with the authority and flexibility needed to guard against terrorist threats," Hagan said. "I believe that these were reasonable modifications to ensure that the provisions only applied to individuals captured outside the United States and upheld existing U.S. law."
Hagan hails from a strong military family—her father-in-law was a two-star Marine General; her brother and father served in the Navy; her husband, Chip, is a Vietnam Veteran who used the GI Bill to help pay for law school; and she has two nephews who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan.
North Carolina is the most military-friendly state in the nation, and, as the chair of the Senate Armed Services Emerging Threats and Capabilities Subcommittee, Hagan is working to keep it that way.

Hagan supports paying soldiers during a government shutdown

U.S. Senator Kay R. Hagan (D-NC) cosponsored the bipartisan Ensuring Pay for Our Military Act of 2011, S. 724, on April 6 to ensure that military personnel continue to be paid in the event of a federal government shutdown.
“I am working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to prevent an irresponsible government shutdown,” said Hagan, Chair of the Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities. “The American people elected us to solve problems—not to shut down the government. No matter what happens, partisan bickering cannot be allowed to jeopardize the financial stability of our service members and their families."
Any government shutdown would affect military personnel. There are currently 90,000 troops in Afghanistan and more than 45,000 in Iraq. North Carolina has more than 120,000 active duty troops, thousands of whom are currently deployed abroad.
The Ensuring Pay for Our Military Act of 2011, sponsored by Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas), would prevent an interruption in pay for members of the military if there is a funding gap resulting from a government shutdown.
View the legislation here.