Top National Leaders Join Gold Star Families for Ceremonial Groundbreaking for The Education Center at The Wall

WASHINGTON - (BUSINESS WIRE) - Gold Star family members will be joined by Congressional leaders, senior military officers, and veterans for the ceremonial groundbreaking for The Education Center at The Wall Wednesday, November 28. Secretary of Defense Leon E. Panetta will deliver remarks during the ceremony. The Education Center at The Wall will be a national landmark dedicated to bringing to life the stories of the more than 58,000 American service members lost in the Vietnam War. It will also tell the stories of the fallen in Iraq and Afghanistan, serving as a temporary place of remembrance until today's veterans receive their own national honor.

"As we mark 50 years since the start of the Vietnam War and three decades since our nation dedicated the Vietnam War Memorial, the way we honor those lost in this conflict must evolve. Our mission has grown beyond remembering. We now must also educate," said Jan C. Scruggs, founder and president, Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund.

The Education Center's "Wall of Faces" exhibit will give visitors an intimate look at the lives of those lost in the Vietnam conflict, as told by the 400,000 items that loved ones, friends and visitors have left at the Vietnam War Memorial since 1982. Another exhibit will tell the story of America's legacy of service in our nation's military through the multigenerational voices of veterans who served from 1775 through today. The section remembering those lost in Iraq and Afghanistan will be enhanced to serve as an interim national memorial to today's heroes. Digital photos of the fallen from these wars will provide visitors an appreciation for each of the Americans who gave their life in those conflicts.