The Dignity Memorial® Vietnam Wall, a three-quarter-scale traveling replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., will be displayed free and open to the public 24 hours a day for public viewing from March 23-30, 2012 at Rose Hills Memorial Park in Whittier.
Also at the event will be:
- Traveling replica of Vietnam Veterans Memorial visits Rose Hills Memorial Park & Mortuary in Whittier, Calif.
- Homeless Clothing Donations will be collected. New or “gently used” clothing are appreciated
- A motorcycle escort comprised of 500 riders (including veterans groups, the Patriot Guard, and members of the community)-5 miles in length-escorts the Wall to Rose Hills on March 22
The replica is eight feet high and 240 feet long. Its black, reflective surface is inscribed with the names of more than 58,000 servicemen and women who died or are missing in Vietnam. Details on the Opening Ceremony, special events and Closing Ceremony are provided below.
WHERE: Rose Hills Memorial Park & Mortuary
3888 Workman Mill Road
Whittier, CA 90601
562.699.0921
WHEN: General viewing is open 24 hours a day, Friday, March 23 – Friday, March 30, 2012
PROGRAM SCHEDULE
PURPLE HEART CEREMONY – Thursday, March 22, approximate start time 2:30 p.m.
OPENING CEREMONY, Friday, March 23, 7:00 p.m.
- Keynote speaker Congresswoman Linda Sanchez
- Recognition of Gold Star Mother Lupe Rodriguez
- Special guest speaker – Jim Pilkenton, Vietnam Veteran, graduate of Sierra High School
Daily March 23rd through March 30th:
- Open Visitation – 24 hours
- Blessing at the Wall and Taps (sunset)
- Military Vehicle Display (Monday – Friday)
POW/MIA CEREMONY, Saturday, March 24, 7:00 p.m.
- Musical performance by The Real Truth
- Candlelight ceremony
CLOSING CEREMONY, Friday, March 30, 6:30 p.m.
- Musical performance by Harmony of Heaven
- Keynote speaker – Sheriff Leroy D. Baca, Sheriff, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and Director of Homeland Security-Mutual Aid for California Region I
- White dove release
- “Call to the Wall” for all Vietnam Veterans
VAULT BURIAL CEREMONY, Saturday, April 21, 2:30 p.m.
- Interment of vault containing mementos left at the Wall
The Vietnam Wall program and Veterans Resource Fair are sponsored locally by Rose Hills Memorial Park & Mortuary with generous support from Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe’s office, T.E. Roberts, Inc., JB Hunt, Batesville Caskets, Phoenix Memorial Portraits and Bronze, Radisson Hotel Whittier, Norm’s Flowers, California Grill, Taking the Hill, I’d Like That! Dba Jawco Graphics and Graphicom Digital, Trinity Reprographics, V.E.R.T, Oltmans Construction, Point Man Ministries, Central Basin Municipal Water District, Coca Cola Bottling Company, San Gabriel Valley Economic Partnership, Costco, Richard Bergquist Photography, Tanya Pham Photography, Matthew Gush Photography, Carpenters Union, and California Domestic Water Company.
About Rose Hills
Founded in 1914, Rose Hills has since grown to be the largest memorial park in the world. It is a full-service memorial facility with a modern mortuary, crematory, flower shops, reception center, and premiere cemetery property.., Serving 10,000 pre-need and at-need families a year, Rose Hills is located in Whittier, California, with approximately 1,400 acres of property for current use or future development. Although it is purposely secluded, Rose Hills is only minutes away from any point in the Greater Los Angeles or Orange County area, and offers a full range of funeral services to meet the memorialization needs of Southern California families. For information visit www.rosehills.com.
