USA: VIETNAM VETERANS VISIT MEMORIALS IN WASHINGTON D.C. ON EVE OF 30TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE FALL OF SAIGON

Record ID: 649089

  • Title: USA: VIETNAM VETERANS VISIT MEMORIALS IN WASHINGTON D.C. ON EVE OF 30TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE FALL OF SAIGON
  • Date: 29th April 2005
  • Summary: (BN04) WASHINGTON, D.C. UNITED STATES (APRIL 29, 2005) (REUTERS) 1. WIDE OF VIETNAMESE MEMORIAL AT NIGHT 0.07 2. MAN LOOKING AT NAMES ETCHED ON MEMORIAL WALL 0.17 3. CU: WREATH AND NAMES ETCHED ON WALL 0.20 4. SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) O'DONNELL PARKER, AMERICA VETERAN OF THE VIETNAM WAR, SAYING: "It's been more emotional this week. Its been emotional not just for the family members but for the Vietnam veterans themselves. They've been coming out." 0.29 5. CU/SCU: O'DONNELL HELPING VISITORS COPY ETCHINGS (2 SHOTS) 0.47 6. SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) PARKER SAYING: "If you go to any name on this wall and point to a name, you know there's a story behind that name. You know there's a family grieving that loss to this day. It's something that you see out here, you know that, especially for the families who have a cross next to their name. Those are the ones who have not been accounted for yet. Those are the families who are still questioning, what if my son is still alive in southeast Asia?" 1.20 7. PARKER WALKING AWAY NEXT TO WALL 1.23 8. CU: PHOTOGRAPH LEFT AT WALL, PULL TO SHOT OF WALL 1.33 9. SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) JOHN SCHOLL, ILLINOIS, SAYING: "If you look at the extra little things that are stuck along the wall here you can see that people certainly have a strong attachment here and I think this is a spot in Washington, D.C. that people have as a highlight when they come to town, you know, remember the sacrifice that was made and the connection they may have had in a very personal way." 1.51 10. SV'S: PEOPLE LOOKING AT WALL (2 SHOTS) 2.05 11. WIDE OF WALL AT NIGHT WITH WASHINGTON MONUMENT IN BACKGROUND 2.11 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 14th May 2005 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: WASHINGTON, D.C. UNITED STATES
  • City:
  • Country: USA
  • Reuters ID: LVAC1490T4R31QKESM6CL1MZJIH6
  • Story Text: Vietnam veterans visit memorials in Washington, D.C on
    the eve of the Fall of Saigon anniversary.


    For O'Donnell Parker this is one of the busiest weeks of
    the year. Parker spends every day at the Vietnam War Memorial,
    helping veterans and families find their loved ones' names etched
    in stone on the memorial wall.

    On the eve of the thirtieth anniversary of the fall of Saigon, he was
    preparing for a busy and emotional day on Saturday (April 30).

    On Saturday veterans from all over the United States will visit the
    memorial wall to pay their respects and remember. To avoid the
    rush, some have already been here.

    "It's been a very busy week," Parker said. "It's been
    emotional not just for the family members but for the Vietnam
    veterans themselves. They've been coming out."
    The memorial, in the heart of Washington D.C.'s National Mall,
    bears the names of all Americans who died in Vietnam or are
    missing in action. For John Scholl, visiting the U.S. capital
    city from Illinois, memories of the Vietnam war are not about
    personal experience, but about a time in American
    culture.

    "I think this is a spot in Washington, D.C. that people have as
    a highlight when they come to town, you know, remember the
    sacrifice that was made and the connection they may have had
    in a very personal way," Scoll said.

    However for many veterans and families, it's more than just a
    stop on the Washington, D.C. tour. To some of them, it
    represents questions that may always go unanswered.

    "The families who have a cross next to their name, those are
    the ones who have not been accounted for yet," explained Parker. "Those are the families who are still questioning, what if my
    son is still alive in southeast Asia?"
    The United States government reports that it is still searching
    for 1,835 prisoners of war and missing military personnel from
    the Vietnam War.


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