The Dignity Memorial Vietnam Wall, a  three-quarter-scale traveling replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial  in Washington, D.C., will be open for public viewing March 23—30, at  Rose Hills Memorial Park & Mortuary, Workman Mill Rd., in Whittier.
“The monument was created as a service to those who might never travel  to the nation’s capital to experience the Vietnam Wall firsthand,”  said  Kenton Woods, president of Rose Hills Memorial Park & Mortuary, a  Dignity Memorial provider.  “Our replica offers visitors a chance for  healing and reflection. We are pleased to be able to share it with the  community especially in conjunction with California’s first Welcome Home  Vietnam Veterans Day.”   
Free and open to the public 24 hours a day, the replica is eight feet  high and 240 feet long. Its black, reflective surface is inscribed with  the names of more than 58,000 servicemen and women who died or are  missing in Vietnam. Paper and pencils will be provided so visitors can  make rubbings of names etched on the wall. The Dignity Memorial provider  network created the replica in 1990. The Dignity Memorial Vietnam Wall  is dedicated to all Americans who served in Vietnam and honors all  veterans of the U.S. military.
A member of the clergy will offer a blessing daily at the Dignity  Memorial Vietnam Wall and “Taps”  will be performed at sunset each  evening. Names from the replica wall will be read weekdays from 4pm to  midnight and on Saturday and Sunday from 6am to midnight.  Activities  and ceremonies planned in conjunction with the event include the  following:

• A motorcade of veterans and other riders from motorcycle clubs will  escort the Dignity Memorial Vietnam Wall from the Arizona/California  border into Whittier on Sunday, March 21¬— estimated arrival is 2pm.
• A Purple Heart ceremony will take place on Sunday, March 21 as the  first two pieces of the Dignity Memorial Vietnam Wall are put together.  All Purple Heart recipients are welcome.
• Opening ceremony will take place Tuesday, March 23. A prelude concert by The Air Force Quintet will start at 4pm.
• On Thursday, March 25 and Friday, March 26, Rose Hills will sponsor  two education days with activities, docents and veterans on hand to  speak to high-school classes. A POW/MIA ceremony will begin at 7pm on  March 26.
• Saturday, March 27 will include a performance by the 45-member Riverside Concert Band at 1pm.
• Sunday, March 27 will feature a performance by the Fontana High School  Marine Corps Junior Reserves Officer Training Corps Male Drill Team.
• The closing ceremony will take place Tuesday, March 30 at 4pm.  

DOG WALKS ON TWO ROPES THEN TURNS AROUND.

Never heard of the Foundation for Women Warriors?

It won’t surprise Jodie Grenier. She hears that a lot.

But as the organization’s chief executive, Grenier wants people to know that Foundation for Women Warriors, headquartered in North Hollywood and considering an expansion to Orange County, is the only nonprofit in California solely devoted to military veterans who just happen to be female.

This month marks the 100th anniversary of Foundation for Women Warriors, a milestone that comes at a time when women make up 10% of military veterans in the United States. Their numbers represent the fastest growing demographic among ex-service members, and are projected to grow to 15% in the next five years.

 Trump awards Medal of Honor to Vietnam War medic President Trump awarded the Medal of Honor to former army medic James McCloughan on July 31, for his work rescuing and treating wounded American ... 

 President Trump on Monday awarded the Medal of Honor to a retired Army captain who saved dozens of lives during the Vietnam War. "For many years the story of Mike’s heroism had gone untold. Today we gather to tell the world of his valor and proudly present him with our nation’s highest military honor," Trump said at the White House ceremony, adding that the award will forever "enshrine him into the history of our nation."

Gary Michael Rose received the award for his service as a medic during the war, when he repeatedly risked his life by running into the line of fire to provide emergency medical treatment to his fellow soldiers. At one point, he reportedly shielded an injured soldier with his own body to keep him from harm.

Rose is believed to have aided and saved around 60 to 70 men who were participating in the 1970 Operation Tailwind, a "harrowing" four day mission that aimed to prevent the North Vietnamese from transporting weapons through the Ho Chi Minh Trail.

The president described how Rose continued to save many men despite being seriously injured after shrapnel "left a gaping hole in Mike’s foot."

"To Mike and all the service members who fought in that battle, you’ve earned the eternal gratitude of the entire American nation," Trump told the room, which included Vice President Pence, Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin, national security adviser H.R. McMaster and others.

"Your devotion to your country inspires us all," Trump said.

In 1971, Rose was also awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, the nation’s second highest medal for valor.

Trump previously has bestowed the award to James McCloughan, who also served as a Vietnam War medic.

 © Getty

President Trump will lay out a “road map” for preventing suicide among American veterans during a White House address on Wednesday.

The road map calls for 10 recommendations, including a national public health messaging campaign around suicide, changes to how research on veteran suicide is conducted and suicide prevention training across professions, according to senior administration officials.

Trump is scheduled to deliver remarks laying out the plan in the East Room Wednesday afternoon and will be accompanied by Vice President Pence. The plan, which officials say stretches 60 pages, is expected to be released later in the day.

 By James Holmes
August 15, 2017

Seldom does your humble scribe come away incensed from reading history. The saga of the World War II aircraft carrier USS Franklin (CV-13) constitutes an exception. We normally think of Franklin’s history as a parable about the importance of shipboard firefighting and damage control. It’s about materiel and methods, in other words. And these things are important without a doubt. Fighting ships are metal boxes packed with explosives and flammables. Suppressing fire represents a crucial function, which is why the first thing a new sailor does after reporting aboard is qualify in rudimentary damage control.

But a ship is more than a hunk of steel. The hunk of steel plus the crew that lives on board it comprises the ship. Bad leadership marred Franklin’s human component. In the end, then, this is a story with mixed lessons. It is not merely about the material dimension of naval warfare.

 On March 19, 1945, during World War II, almost 800 sailors were killed and 487 wounded when a Japanese plane dropped two armor-piercing bombs on the USS Franklin. (Video by Deb Kiner/PennLive) 

 This inspiring documentary, "The Saga of the Franklin" shows how the gallant officers and men of the distinguished Essex class carrier USS Franklin (CV13) overcame incredible battle damage inflicted by a devastating bomb hit to save their ship and bring it home. Remarkably, combat cameramen happened to be aboard ship to capture the action. The film also contains rare and informative color footage of late war Vought F4U Corsair and Curtiss SB2C Helldiver combat operations from the Franklin right off the coast of Japan. Perhaps most memorably, you'll see the officers and men of the USS Franklin first ably going about their daily business and then catapulted by fate into performing selfless acts of heroism under extraordinarily difficult circumstances. ****Get this video & 4 more on our “US Aircraft Carriers Go to War World War II Flat Tops in Action  DVD” http://bit.ly/1Q8a17h