This coming Wednesday is Veterans Day. In order to honor the heroes that have fought for this country, Forest Lawn is planning a special commemoration. This week marks the 50 year anniversary of the start of the Vietnam War. The cemetery is planning on recognizing those hailing from Western New York who lost their lives fighting in the battle.
Forest Lawn Historian and Vietnam Veteran, Patrick Kavanagh, has launched an online remembrance (newspaper articles, death notices, photos and obituaries) of the men and women who fought and died in Vietnam. Kavanagh compiled the information that was released in book form in 2012. Now the information is readily available online – a gesture that coincides with the anniversary of the commencement of the war (the info will go live on Wednesday).
Kavanagh completed the research project “as a labor of love so that those who made the ultimate sacrifice will never be forgotten,” he said. “To see that this information will now be accessible on the web, to the family and friends of these heroes, and anyone else who would like to access it, is very gratifying and certainly a fitting tribute to these heroes.”
Following is an itinerary of events that will be held at the cemetery to recognize the soldiers who gave their lives while serving in the US military.
Wednesday, November 11, 2015 | 8:00 a.m. | Decoration of Graves
9:00 a.m. | Commencement of Services | Erie County American Legion Ceremony
The Erie County American Legion will host its annual ceremony at Forest Lawn to honor, recognize and salute veterans. At 8:00 a.m., flags will be placed on the graves of veterans buried in the Field of Valor® and in the American Legion section of Forest Lawn. At 9:00 a.m., the ceremony will begin in front of the American Legion Memorial Monument in the Veterans section, near the Main Street Gates.
10:30 a.m. | Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) Ceremony
As part of the nationwide commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the start of the Vietnam War, the Katharine Pratt Horton Buffalo Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution and Forest Lawn will host a special ceremony to honor the veterans who were killed in action in Vietnam. The ceremony will be held in Forest Lawn’s Field of Valor®. Special commemorative flags will be placed at the gravesites of the 55 Vietnam veterans who are interred at Forest Lawn.
11:15 a.m. | Reception for Vietnam Veterans and Their Families
Press Event: Official Launch of New Online Resource Honoring WNY Veterans Killed in Action in Vietnam.
A reception for local Vietnam veterans and their families will be held immediately after the Daughters of the American Revolution honoring WNY veterans killed in action in Vietnam will be introduced and made ceremony in Forest Lawn’s Margaret L. Wendt Archive and Resource Center. At this reception, the new online resource available for use. Those in attendance will have the opportunity to search the database and print the records of interest to them. Patrick Kavanagh, Forest Lawn Historian and Vietnam Veteran who researched and compiled all the information in the database will be on hand to answer any questions about his work.
WHERE: Forest Lawn | 1411 Delaware Ave, Buffalo, NY
WHO: The events are free and open to the public. No reservations are required.