On Veteran's Day I went to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, DC to remember the men and women who served our country and their families who have lived with the memories.

A volunteer helps find a name among the more than 58,000 names engraved on the wall

While the "pageantry" is very meaningful, I have come to really admire the people who attend and who run this ceremony. It is about the people - not the wars or the country or the world (although these are all important). Jan Scruggs always starts out with "meeting the person on each side of you, so that you don't ever again have to feel alone".  In the photos that follow, I will share with you some of the pageantry, but also the people who attended Veteran's Day 2006 at the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial.

Jan C. Scruggs, Founder and President,

 Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund

The National Anthem,

sung by MSG Jonathon Deutsch, U.S. Army Chorus

Invocation

Father Kieran G, Mandato, CDR, CHC, USN

Vikki Keys

Superintendent

National Mall and Memorial Parks

General Barry R. McCaffrey, US Army (Ret)

Introducing Captain Hauck

Captain Frederick H. Hauck, USN (Ret)

Vietnam Veteran (pilot) and
 Former NASA Astronaut

CM2 Elizabeth Lopez, USNR

The Vietnam Women's Memorial

RADM Kenneth P. Moritsugu, MD, MPH

U.S. Surgeon General

The Honorable Michael W. Wynne

Vietnam Veteran and

Secretary of the U.S. Air Force

Christopher Jackson

Bagpipes

 "Amazing Grace"

SFC Chris Roussey

U.S. Army Band (Pershing's Own)

Taps

© Copyright 2006 Robert E. Graf