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SDIT at the White House

On June 4, three SDIT families will join a limited number of other Gold Star families — from WWII through the most recent conflicts to honor, thank and celebrate those who have survived the loss of a loved one in service to our nation.

This year, the Terry, Goss and Cordero families will represent Vietnam War casualties from the Army, Navy and Air Force.

This year’s delegation consists of seven Gold Star ‘sons and daughters’; three Gold Star Wives (the mothers of the ‘sons and daughters’), and one Gold Star brother.

Since 2012, nearly 70 SDIT members have had the honor of being hosted at the White House by the President of the United States.

It is hoped that this event generates an invitation for SDIT next year and beyond.

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SDIT and the Vietnam War Commemoration

In the coming months, SDIT will work with the Vietnam War Commemoration to provide a weekend visit(s) to the Vietnam War exhibit recently opened in the Pentagon.

The visit will be limited to 20-30 people and does involve walking through the Pentagon to the 100-yard long exhibit.

Interested SDIT members can send their names and contact information to SDITCommemoration@gmail.com

“To commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the Vietnam War, The Department of Defense and The United States of America Vietnam War Commemoration have created a permanent exhibit as a way to thank and honor the service and sacrifice of Vietnam veterans and their families. This award-winning exhibit tells the story of the United States’ involvement in the Vietnam War through a timeline of events, artifacts, historic photographs, and video footage.”

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Preserve Your Loved One’s Legacy with the Library of Congress

The Veterans History Project (VHP) is one of the Library of Congress’ most popular projects and is considered the largest oral history project in the country. Its congressional mandate is to collect, preserve and make accessible the personal accounts of U.S. veterans so that future generations may hear directly from veterans and better understand the realities of their selfless service.

Anyone can gather and donate collections of items that comprise the first-person narrative of a loved one who served, such as 10 or more original photographs, letters and/or documents; and/or 20 or more pages of memories, journals and diaries. These can be from deceased (by any cause) or even living veterans.

With the passage of Public Law 114-246, the Gold Star Family Voices Act, VHP is additionally seeking the video and audio recordings (with a length of at least 30 minutes) of biographical histories by immediate family members (parent, spouse, sibling, or child over the age of 18) of members of the Armed Forces who became missing in action or who died of injuries as a result of their service during wartime service.

Contact Ms. Kerry Ward with Veterans History Project at kwar@loc.gov for further information.

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“They Were Our Fathers”

More than 20,000 American children lost their dads in Vietnam.

They Were Our Fathers shares their stories, as told by members of Sons and Daughters in Touch — a group formed in 1990 to locate, unite and support Gold Star children who lost their fathers in service during the Vietnam War. They gather in the nation’s capital on Father’s Day to honor their fathers, reflect on their common grief and support one another, like no one else can.”

Use the following link to locate a channel in your area:

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Jan C. Scruggs was on life support in a hospital in suburban Maryland, attached to a feeding tube and a breathing machine. He had been in a medically induced coma for weeks with a deadly heart infection. People were stopping to say goodbye.

His wife, Becky, was preparing for life as the widow of the creator of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and had contacted a friend about burial in Arlington National Cemetery.

After one brush with death in Vietnam and three more from his heart ailment, it looked, late last year, like Scruggs might soon meet those departed comrades whose names are inscribed on his Wall.

But on a chilly Saturday morning last month, a thin, gray-haired man in a windbreaker, slacks and sneakers picked up a brush, splashed a section of the Wall with soapy water and started scrubbing. READ THE FULL ARTICLE  HERE

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