Arlington Memorial Dedication Ceremony

ANCFINAL Monument — **The stone to be placed during the ceremony.**

Jerry Mellick is pleased to report the Vietnam Helicopter Pilot and Crewmember Monument Dedication Ceremony was held on Wednesday, April 18, 2018, at 4:00 PM in the Arlington National Cemetery (ANC) Memorial Amphitheater with a post-ceremony reception at the Women In Military Service For America Memorial located near the cemetery entrance.

Bob Hesselbein, Chairman of the Legacy Committee of VHPA (National) reports:

The VHPA Legacy Committee is pleased to report the Vietnam Helicopter Pilot and Crewmember Monument Dedication Ceremony held at Arlington National Cemetery on April 18th was a great success. Some 3400 attendees—VHPA members, Vietnam Veterans, Gold Star Families, active-duty servicemen, families, friends, and strong media representation—enjoyed music, brief speeches, a somber procession to the monument, and an outstanding 4-ship fly-by of USAF “Hueys.” The weather was extraordinary: clear skies and comfortable temperatures.

For those unable to attend, the VHPA Legacy Committee was able to arrange C-SPAN coverage of the amphitheater portion of the event. The event will air on Sunday, May 6th at 11am on C-SPAN3’s American History TV.

The news media was present at the ceremony, and below are links to some of the video/written reports:

https://www.militarytimes.com/video/2018/04/23/fallen-vietnam-pilots-crew-members-honored-with-monument-at-arlington-national-cemetery/

https://www.facebook.com/johnal.skimbo/videos/10212430405775255/?t=3

https://www.airforcetimes.com/video/2018/04/19/interview-lt-col-bruce-ianacone-vietnam-helicopter-assault-pilot/

https://www.army.mil/article/204136/helicopter_pilots_crewmembers_memorialized_in_arlington_national_cemetery
https://www.stripes.com/dedication-of-helicopter-war-memorial-at-arlington-set-for-april-1.516060

https://www.armytimes.com/news/your-army/2018/04/20/fallen-vietnam-pilots-crew-members-honored-with-monument-at-arlington-national-cemetery/?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=Socialflow

Several chapter members (including Jerry Mellick) attended and passed along pictures and a video shot from the fly-by aircraft.

Vietnam Pilots and Crewmember's Memorial Stone — The final resting place for the stone dedicated to the men who gave their lives in Vietnam flying and crewing aircraft.

Published by William Vaughn

William Vaughn is an author, mentor, and granddad. He's lived and traveled all over the world, flew helicopters in Vietnam, won a few medals and retrained in the personal computer industry where he worked for about forty years, ultimately publishing about a dozen books. More recently, he retrained again to become a ham radio operator and earn his Extra ticket. In 2006, he redirected his career again, this time focusing on fiction writing. He has at least six books published with more to come. Search for his website http://betav.com. He's passionate about environmental, healthcare and veteran's issues and posts regularly on his Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/William.R.Vaughn View all posts by William Vaughn

3 thoughts on “Arlington Memorial Dedication Ceremony”

Esther Daniels says:

January 4, 2018 at 08:00

Do you have any further info on the dedication ceremony – will Veterans need tickets to attend? I want to make sure my dad is in attendance. Thank you!

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1. William Vaughn says:
  
  January 4, 2018 at 08:06
  
  Please contact John Schafer the organizer.
  
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Wm. C. " Chuck" Ogle says:

May 7, 2018 at 07:09

Thank you to all that had a hand in getting this Memorial made and the placement in Arlington! I am sorry I didn’t have the privilege of being there in person, but my heart will always be with those who served, those that gave their all, and those that are still serving. Army aviation was twenty two years of my life, and those that trained and served with are always with me!

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