24-hour vigil at Vietnam Veterans Memorial
15 Medal
of Honor recipients to join vigil
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[April 23, 2013]
SPRINGFIELD -- Fifteen Medal of
Honor recipients will join an annual vigil at the Illinois Vietnam
Veterans Memorial to honor those who served during the Vietnam War.
The May 4-5 event marks the 25th anniversary of the memorial's
dedication.
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This 24-hour vigil begins with an opening ceremony at 11 a.m. May 4
at the memorial, located in Springfield's Oak Ridge Cemetery. The
Illinois Vietnam Veterans Memorial Vigil organization will formally
start the vigil at noon.
That evening at 6, there will be a ceremony to remember the 66
remaining Illinois men listed as prisoners of war or missing in
action.
The closing ceremony will be at 11 a.m. on May 5. The 24-hour
vigil will conclude with the retiring of the honor guard.
The vigil and all ceremonies are free and open to the public.
The
Illinois Vietnam Veterans Memorial, dedicated May 7, 1988, is
made of five polished, black granite walls that create five
courtyards. Each courtyard is dedicated to one of the five branches
of service and shows the service insignia. The walls are etched with
the names of the 2,998 Illinois servicemen who died or are missing.
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The Illinois Vietnam Veterans Memorial is administered by the
Illinois Historic Preservation Agency.
[Text from file received from the
Illinois Historic Preservation Agency]
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