STORIES OF HONOR

By WILLIAM K. ALCORN
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
Two area men, Navy Lt. j.g. Douglas M. Webster of Warren and Army Staff Sgt. Louis W. Gordon of Salem, are among the 86 American soldiers who will be honored posthumously Monday at the eighth annual In Memory Day ceremony at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C.
In Memory Day pays tribute to service members and civilians who died prematurely from noncombat injuries and emotional suffering caused directly by the Vietnam War, but who do not meet Department of Defense guidelines for having their names inscribed on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, known as The Wall.
Many of their deaths are because of Agent Orange exposure or are the result of post-traumatic stress disorder, said Jan. C. Scruggs, founder and president of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund.
Speaking at event
Tim Russert, managing editor and moderator of the television show "Meet the Press," will be one of the event's speakers, along with the family of Paul Geary, a 2002 In Memory honoree. Geary, a childhood friend of Russert's, served in Vietnam and died in 1999 as a result of that service.
"The annual ceremony brings together families and friends who have experienced similar tragedies, allowing them to share stories and start the process of healing," Scruggs said.
The Vietnam Veterans Memorial contains the names of 58,249 men and women who died while serving in the U.S. armed forces in the Vietnam War. However, it has always stood as a reminder of all the nearly 3.5 million who participated in the divisive and controversial conflict, Scruggs said.
During the ceremony, family members or others read aloud the names of those being honored in chronological order by date of death. After the ceremony, participants placed tributes at the base of The Wall corresponding to the honorees' dates of service in Vietnam, so that these Vietnam veterans come to rest near those comrades with whom they served. With the addition of this year's honorees, more than 1,600 individuals will have been honored in the In Memory honor roll, Scruggs said.
The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund began conducting In Memory Day ceremonies at The Wall in 1999. In November 2004, the In Memory Plaque was dedicated on the Memorial site. 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."
Here are Webster's and Gordon's stories as told by their families and friends.