24th anniversary vigil May 5-6 at Vietnam Veterans Memorial

[April 25, 2012]  SPRINGFIELD -- Special ceremonies and a 24-hour vigil honoring the 2,938 Illinois servicemen who died in the Vietnam War are planned for May 5 and 6 at the Illinois Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Springfield's Oak Ridge Cemetery. The ceremony also marks the 24th anniversary of the memorial's dedication.

The opening ceremony will begin at 11 a.m. May 5. The Illinois Vietnam Veterans Memorial Committee will start the vigil at noon, and the memorial will remain open to the public during the 24-hour vigil. The Saturday evening ceremony, which will remember the 67 men from Illinois still listed as prisoners of war or missing in action, will begin at 6.

The closing ceremony Sunday morning will begin at 11. The Illinois Veterans Memorial Vigil will provide the color guard for the occasion. The ceremony will conclude with the retiring of the 24-hour honor guard.

The vigil and all the ceremonies are free and open to the public.

The Illinois Vietnam Veterans Memorial, administered by the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, is located off Route 29 in Springfield's Oak Ridge Cemetery.

[Text from file received from the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency]