Vietnam Veterans Inc. hosts annual vigil May 18-19
Vietnam Veterans Inc. of Fayette County will honor their fallen brethren with their annual vigil May 18-19 at the Fayette County Vietnam Memorial, located at the corner of Walnut Street and Buttermilk Lane in front of AMVETS Post 103 in Hopwood.
The vigil, which began in 1985, begins at noon on May 18. It honors the 50 Fayette County residents lost in the Vietnam War, including 49 killed in action and one missing in action.
“They’re brothers,” said Larry Vilk, of Uniontown, secretary. “You’ve got to honor those people. They lost their lives. It’s very important to us.”
The vigil includes a candlelight service at 9 p.m. May 18.
“We light a candle for each one on the wall,” said Vilk.
The vigil continues until 11 p.m. and then resumes from 7 a.m. to noon May 19 when a closing ceremony is held. Guest speaker at noon will be Brandon Rumbaugh of Uniontown, a Marine Corps veteran who lost both his legs in an improvised explosive device (IED) explosion in 2010 in Afghanistan while helping another serviceman who had also been wounded.
A standing invitation is open to anyone wishing to stand a 15-minute interval honoring all soldiers of the Vietnam War.
More than 58,000 Americans gave their lives in service to their country during the Vietnam War, according to the National Park Service which maintains the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C.