WASHINGTON, D.C., USA — According to the Department of Defense, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial is the most-visited memorial on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. It holds the names of all Americans killed in the widely unpopular war.
Thousands of veterans' names aren't on that wall. Instead — they died from the war years later, from illnesses or PTSD. That group is now honored through a Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund program called, "In Memory," which this weekend will honor a man from Maine.
"I think most people know the Vietnam War was not a popular war, and most of the men and women who went and fought were drafted. My husband Bob was," Donna Kipp said, remembering her husband fondly.
Robert Kipp died in 2020 from bladder cancer. His name will now be memorialized along with other veterans who fought in Vietnam but died years later.
"We had 48 really wonderful years together," Donna said. But bladder cancer is painful, fast, and deadly. It's one of many illnesses recognized by The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to be caused by exposure to Agent Orange. Agent Orange was a defoliant the U.S. sprayed over thick jungles, which the North Vietnamese used as cover.
"Fifty years after the fact, I lost Bob to the Vietnam War," Donna said.
While the names of those like Kipp aren't being added to the memorial in Washington, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund does recognize thousands of veterans who have died from Agent Orange exposure, PTSD, or other illnesses as a result of their service.
Families are encouraged to apply to the fund's "In Memory" program, which adds names to an Honor Roll in recognition of their sacrifice. That includes a ceremony in Washington D.C., which Donna and her family will attend this weekend.
"They all took their share of scorn when they came home," Donna said. "And it means the world to me and my four children that Bob and so many other veterans are getting recognized even though they have passed."
Donna is thankful her husband's name was never on the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial wall, because it meant she had more time with him. However, she's still proud of the recognition he will now receive.
"They are all heroes. Bob is my personal hero," she said.
To learn more about the In Memory program, click here.