VIETNAM VETERANS MEMORIAL FUND TO ADD CAPTAIN BRUDNO’S NAME TO VIETNAM VETERANS MEMORIAL IN MAY
Based on Recent Defense Department Decision
Washington, D.C. -- The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund will add the name of a Vietnam veteran who committed suicide four months after his release as a prisoner of war to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, announced Jan C. Scruggs, Founder and President of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund.
“The Defense Department is the agency responsible for determining whose names go on The Wall, and we recognize that this was a difficult decision,” said Scruggs. “Based on the DOD decision, we have made arrangements for Captain Brudno’s name to be inscribed on The Wall in early May. His will be the first name added; and nine other names will be inscribed as well.”
U.S. Air Force Captain Edward Alan Brudno of Quincy, Massachusetts was shot down over North Vietnam in October 1965 and held as a prisoner of war for more than seven years before being released in February 1973. Four months after arriving back in the United States, Captain Brudno took his own life on June 3, 1973.
According to the DOD, the Air Force reviewed Captain Brudno’s medical records and determined the cause of death to be a direct result of severe combat wounds inflicted by the enemy … physical, psychological and torture-related … while he was held as a prisoner during the Vietnam conflict. The totality of the circumstances, including the nature and cause of Captain Brudno’s acute wounds, his condition on returning to the U.S. and the proximity of his death to his return made his case both unique and singularly compelling. While the case stands on the particular merits of the unique circumstances, the DOD has stated that the decision must not be misunderstood to set precedence and include other post-war suicides.
The Wall was built to pay honor to all who served with the U.S. Armed Forces during the Vietnam War. The black granite memorial is inscribed with the names of the 58,235 men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice in Vietnam. The names of more than 300 individuals have been added to the Memorial since its dedication in 1982.
In 2000, President Bill Clinton signed Public Law 106-214, authorizing a commemorative plaque to be added to the grounds of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, inscribed to acknowledge and honor veterans whose premature deaths were due to their service but who are not eligible for recognition on The Wall. The plaque honors those individuals who died of Agent Orange-related cancer and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder-induced suicides. The plaque, expected to be unveiled on April 19 at the In Memory Day Ceremony, will be inscribed “In memory of the men and women who served in the Vietnam War and later died as a result of their service. We honor and remember their sacrifice.”
Established in 1979, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund is the non-profit organization authorized by Congress to build the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. Today, through a series of outreach programs, the organization works to preserve the legacy of The Wall, to promote healing and to educate about the impact of the Vietnam War.
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