Friends and family members gather at the In Memory Memorial Plaque to place white roses and share memories of loved ones. The plaque dedicated last night near the Vietnam Veterans Memorial honors veterans who died from cancer and other ailments associated with their service in that war. Fredericksburg resident Ruth Coder Fitzgerald was the driving force behind the memorial. ram View More Images from this story Visit the Photo Place

Saluting Vietnam victims, beyond The Wall

City woman's work climaxes in dedication of plaque for Vietnam vets who died from war injuries long after the conflict was over.

By PAMELA GOULD

Date published: 11/11/2004

By PAMELA GOULD

WASHINGTON--With the somber sounds of a bagpiper playing "Amazing Grace" and the area gently lit by more than 200 glow sticks, friends and family last night called out the names of loved ones who had returned from the Vietnam War only to die a premature death.

David Hannah.

Max Gordon.

Bill Baker.

J.D.

Popeye.

Alice Ulmet couldn't call out her father's name. Sobs came instead.

The 23-year-old and her mother, Pam Ulmet, drove from Williamsburg to Washington for last night's dedication of the Vietnam In Memory Memorial Plaque. The 2- by 3-foot granite marker was officially unveiled in July, but dedicated at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial on the eve of the day the nation sets aside to remember its veterans.

Oliver Ulmet died five years ago of non-Hodgkins lymphoma, one of the cancers attributed to the defoliant Agent Orange. Ulmet had been an Army helicopter pilot in Vietnam, where Agent Orange was used to kill the undergrowth to expose enemy forces.

In 1993, members of families like the Ulmets started gathering each Memorial Day and Veterans Day to read the names of loved ones who served in the Vietnam War, but whose deaths didn't qualify them to be on the famous black granite wall of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.

Now those families have a permanent reminder of their loved ones and their sacrifices.

The plaque, which cost about $135,000, sits near The Three Servicemen statue. It bears a simple inscription: "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."

The memorial is the result of a grass-roots campaign started in 1995 by Fredericksburg resident Ruth Coder Fitzgerald. Her efforts were spurred by her brother's death from non-Hodgkins lymphoma in 1992, when he was 49.

John Keath Coder was an Air Force helicopter pilot who flew rescue and recovery operations in Vietnam in 1969 and 1970.

Non-Hodgkins lymphoma is just one cancer linked to Agent Orange. Many post-service deaths also were attributed to post-traumatic stress disorder.

Fitzgerald founded Vietnam War In Memory Memorial, a nonprofit group that pushed for approval of the plaque. Her efforts started with support from Fredericksburg-area residents and groups such as the Vietnam Veterans of America chapters in Culpeper and Woodbridge.

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Date published: 11/11/2004