Ceremony in Washington, D.C. honors Vietnam Veterans who died after returning home
Washington, D.C. – More than 650 Vietnam veterans, including 17 from Missouri, will be
inducted into the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund’s (VVMF) In Memory Program in 2024. VVMF
believes all those who served in the Vietnam War should be honored and remembered for their
service. The In Memory program enables the families and friends of those who came home and later
died the opportunity to have them be forever memorialized.
On June 15, 2024, VVMF will host the 2024 In Memory ceremony on the East Knoll of the Vietnam
Veterans Memorial, where each 2024 honoree’s name will be read aloud. This year, 656 veterans will be
honored during the ceremony.
“For many Vietnam veterans, coming home from Vietnam was just the beginning of a whole new fight.
Many never fully recovered, either physically or emotionally, from their experiences. As these veterans
pass, it is our duty and solemn promise to welcome them home to the place that our nation has set aside
to remember our Vietnam veterans,” said Jim Knotts, president and CEO of VVMF.
The plaque that honors these veterans was dedicated as a part of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial
site in 2004. It reads: In Memory of the men and women who served in the Vietnam War and later
died as a result of their service. We honor and remember their sacrifice.
2024 In Memory Inductees from Missouri:
Mickie Joe Bradshaw, U.S. Army
Ellsinore, MO
June 24, 1945 – July 15, 2023
Robert Stanley Clawson, U.S. Air Force
Springfield, MO
November 25, 1941 – June 15, 2021
Lyle Eugene Dickason, U.S. Marine Corps
Chillicothe, MO
September 4, 1947 – August 11, 2019
Robert L. Easton, U.S. Navy
Clinton, MO
October 7, 1945 – September 16, 2023
Richard Arthur Eissfeldt, U.S. Army
St Louis, MO
April 22, 1936 – June 1, 2020
Michael Edward Hudson, U.S. Air Force
Winfield, MO
September 25, 1951 – February 10, 2024
Donald Ray Hurt, U.S. Army
Jackson, MO
October 10, 1947 – February 14, 2024
Robert Eugene Lawson, U.S. Army
Reeds Spring, MO
December 10, 1949 – March 10, 2011
Charles “Rick” Richard Lemm, U.S. Navy
Marshall, MO
July 22, 1948 – August 8, 2021
Tony W. Miller, U.S. Army
Dexter, MO
November 8, 1948 – January 13, 2003
Delbert Joe Musgrove, U.S. Army
Columbia, MO
May 9, 1939 – October 12, 2023
Keith Ray Owens, U.S. Army
Springfield, MO
March 11, 1949 – January 10, 2020
Charles John Pollock, U.S. Navy
Chillicothe, MO
October 17, 1943 – June 7, 2015
Phillip Wayne Roscher, U.S. Army
Independence, MO
November 14, 1946 – August 19, 2021
Phil D. Scott, U.S. Army
Chillicothe, MO
July 14, 1948 – November 25, 2020
Douglas Wayne Smith, U.S. Navy
Clinton, MO
February 20, 1953 – January 5, 2024
Silas Eugene Winn, U.S. Marine Corps
Hallsville, MO
June 26, 1944 – February 8, 2022
VVMF has created a personal remembrance page for each honoree online in the In Memory Honor
Roll at www.vvmf.org/honor-roll. Their photos will also be displayed around the country when VVMF’s
mobile exhibit, The Wall That Heals, is on display in an honoree’s home state. To view the 2024 tour
schedule for The Wall That Heals, visit https://www.vvmf.org/The-Wall-That-Heals/.
The 2024 In Memory ceremony will be shown live on VVMF’s Facebook page
(https://www.facebook.com/VietnamVeteransMemorialFund) and on VVMF’s website
(www.vvmf.org/live) beginning at 10 a.m. ET on June 15, 2024. The recorded video of the In Memory
ceremony will be made available shortly after the conclusion of the ceremony. The In Memory
program was created in 1993 and, after this year’s ceremony, will have honored more than 6,800
veterans. For more information on the In Memory program or to apply to have your loved one honored
in 2025, please visit: www.vvmf.org/inmemory.
About the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund
The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund (VVMF) is the nonprofit organization that founded the Vietnam
Veterans Memorial (The Wall) in Washington, D.C. in 1982. VVMF continues to lead the way in
paying tribute to our nation’s Vietnam veterans and their families. VVMF’s mission is to honor and
preserve the legacy of service in America and educate all generations about the impact of the
Vietnam War and era. To learn more about VVMF, visit www.vvmf.org or call 202-393-0090.
