VIETNAM VETERANS MEMORIAL FUND
For Immediate Release
May 12, 2006
Contact: Lisa Gough
(202) 393-0090, ext.109

FOUR NAMES TO BE ADDED TO VIETNAM VETERANS MEMORIAL Press Event to be Held on Thursday, May 18 at 10:00 a.m.

Washington, D.C.-The names of four American servicemen will be inscribed on the black granite walls of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial next week, announced Jan C. Scruggs, founder and president of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund.Work will begin on Tuesday, May 16, and will continue through Thursday, May 18, when a ceremony will be held for the press to witness the addition of one of the names.

During that ceremony, Mark, Mike and Jon Rumley will be on hand to witness the addition of their brother's name to The Wall. Capt. Robert Patrick Rumley Jr. of the United States Marine Corps incurred combat injuries on Sept. 5, 1966, when the helicopter in which he was a passenger was shot down by hostile enemy fire. He never fully recovered from those injuries and died on May 18, 1968. His name will be inscribed on the 38th anniversary of his death.

Congressman Ed Markey (D-Mass.) will make some remarks before Capt. Rumley's name is added to The Wall. In addition, James Cummings, AIA, the architect of record for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, and expert stoneworker James Lee of Colorado-based Great Panes Glassworks Inc., will make brief remarks about the newest additions and the inscription process. These additions will bring the number of names on The Wall to
58,253 men and women who were killed in Vietnam or remain missing in action.

Names being added to The Wall:

Army SP4 Bobby Gene Barbre
Carmi, Illinois
Sept. 7, 1949 - Dec. 14, 1971
Date of Casualty: May 8, 1969
Wall Location: 25W, Line 29

Marine Lance Cpl. George Bryant Givens Jr.
Robards, Kentucky
Oct. 5, 1946 - Dec. 18, 1994
Date of Casualty: Feb. 22, 1966
Wall Location: 14E, Line 63

Marine Pfc. Hans Jorg Rudolph Lorenz
Midland, Ontario, Canada
Aug. 21, 1944 - April 26, 1966
Date of Casualty: April 11, 1966
Wall Location: 6E, Line 111

Marine Capt. Robert Patrick Rumley Jr.
Medford, Massachusetts
Aug. 8, 1942 - May 18, 1968
Date of Casualty: Sept. 5, 1966
Wall Location: 14E, Line 95

"We will add the names as close as possible to their dates of casualty, so these servicemen can remain in the company of those they served with," said Scruggs.

The highly technical procedure requires meticulous work to match the stroke and depth of the surrounding names to within one-thousandth of an inch. Great Panes Glassworks, the company that has worked on name additions for many years, will be making the inscriptions.

Preceding each name on the Memorial is a symbol designating status. The diamond symbol denotes confirmed death. The cross represents missing in action. When a service member's remains are returned or accounted for, the diamond is superimposed over the cross. In addition to the four names being added this year, there will be some designation changes made as well.

The four new names will become "official" when they are read aloud during the annual Memorial Day Ceremony at The Wall on Monday, May 29, at 1:00 p.m.The Department of Defense sets the criteria for and makes decisions about whose names are eligible for inscription on The Wall. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund pays for the name additions and status changes, and works with the National Park Service to ensure
long-term preservation and maintenance of The Wall.

Dedicated on Nov. 13, 1982, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial was built to honor all who served with the U.S. armed forces during the Vietnam War. It has become known as an international symbol of healing and is the most-visited memorial on the National Mall.

Established in 1979, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund is the nonprofit organization authorized by Congress to build the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. Today, through a series of outreach programs, it is dedicated to preserving the legacy of The Wall, promoting healing, educating about the impact of the Vietnam War and is building the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Center, an underground
educational facility, near The Wall.