Camp Henry dedicates "The Wall" to pay tribute to Vietnam Veterans

By Intern Lee, Dong-haeNovember 7, 2017

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USAG DAEGU, South Korea -- United States Army Garrison Daegu held a Facility Renaming Ceremony, November 2, 2017 in front of the Camp Henry fitness center formerly known as the Fit To Win. To honor all who served and sacrificed during the Vietnam War, USAG Daegu Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation renamed the fitness center "The Wall" in reference to the Vietnam War Memorial. William C. Butcher, USAG Daegu Deputy to the Garrison Commander, was the guest speaker and local Vietnam veterans attended as guests of honor.

"Thank you for attending today's renaming ceremony," said Butcher. "We all know how important this is to us. It's important that we remember our history. It's important that we remember those who came before us, who served, who sacrificed and who committed. This is a small price that we can pay as an organization to demonstrate our admiration for the nine million men and women who served during the Vietnam era. So thank you for joining us today."

"Today, I also want to honor some others in our organization, particularly F&MWR and their staff who run this facility and who also were instrumental in developing this idea," added Butcher.

The name of the Fitness Center, "The Wall" symbolizes the wall of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, the 2-acre U.S. national memorial in Washington, D.C. It honors service members of the U.S. armed forces who fought in the Vietnam War, service members who died in service in Vietnam and South East Asia and those service members who were unaccounted for; missing in action during the war.

Cpl. Yang Sung-soo, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, USAG Daegu, and Courtney S. Cameron, Supervisory Sports Specialist at USAG Daegu F&MWR unveiled the new facility sign and Maj. Patrick W. Caukin, Directorate of Public Works Operations Officer, unveiled a commemorative plaque at the entrance. Then, Vietnam veterans and garrison staff conducted the official ribbon cutting.

"More than 50 years have passed since the United States and our allies became involved in the Vietnam conflict in which over nine million service members stood together to face the communist threat. However, unlike today's political environment, there were few patriotic parades, adoring crowds or sympathetic bystanders lining the streets to welcome service members home," said Butcher. "While we're unable to right those wrongs, what we can and will do today and tomorrow and this week and hopefully for years to come, is appropriately recognize the contributions of our Vietnam veterans to our great nation and say thank you over and over again."