Dignity Memorial® Vietnam Wall 2009 Tour Schedule Released

Houston, TX - May 19, 2009

The Dignity Memorial® network of funeral, cremation and cemetery service providers announces the 2009 tour schedule of the Dignity Memorial Vietnam Wall, a three-quarter-scale traveling replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C.

Free and open to the public 24 hours a day during the exhibit dates, the replica stands eight feet high and 240 feet long. Its black, reflective surface is inscribed with the names of more than 58,000 servicemen and women who died or are missing in Vietnam.

“The Dignity Memorial Vietnam Wall is dedicated to all Americans who served in Vietnam and honors all veterans of the U.S. military,” said Chris Sasso, a director with the Dignity Memorial network. “The replica offers visitors a chance for healing and reflections, and we are very pleased to be able to share it with the citizens of these communities,” he said.
The Dignity Memorial network of funeral, cremation and cemetery service providers created the replica in 1990 as a service to those who might never travel to the nation’s capital to experience the original Vietnam Veterans Memorial firsthand. To date, the Dignity Memorial Vietnam Wall has traveled to more than 200 cities across the country and has been visited by millions of Americans.

The Dignity Memorial Vietnam Wall will travel to the following 10 U.S. cities on its 2009 tour:

Orlando, Fla.
June 25 – 28
Caribe Royale Hotel, 8101 World Center Dr.

Piedmont, Okla.
July 3 – 5
Piedmont High School, OK Hwy. 4 and Edmond Rd.

Seattle, Wash.
August 14 – 16
Acacia Memorial Park, 14951 Bothell Way NE

Westlake Village, Calif.
September 4 – 7
Pierce Brothers Valley Oaks Memorial Park, 5600 Lindero Canyon Rd.

Phoenix, Ariz.
September 18 – 20
Phoenix Memorial Park, 200 W. Beardsley Rd.

Pasadena, Texas
September 25 – 27
Grand View Memorial Park, 8501 Spencer Hwy.

Brandon, Fla.
October 30 – November 1
Hillsboro Memorial Gardens, 2323 W. Brandon Blvd.

N. Lauderdale, Fla.

November 6 – 8
Bailey Memorial Gardens, 7801 Bailey Rd.

Yonkers, N.Y.
November 13 – 15
Fleming Field, Prescott Street

Activities and ceremonies planned in conjunction with each exhibition include a motorcade of Vietnam veterans and other riders to escort the replica to its exhibit location, opening and closing ceremonies, and programmatic elements throughout each weekend designed to commemorate and honor the sacrifices of the U.S. servicemen and women who served in the Vietnam War.

“Dignity Memorial providers consider it an honor to serve those who served our country,” Sasso said. “The Dignity Memorial Vietnam Wall is just one of many efforts of the Dignity Memorial network to honor and support our nation’s veterans and active military personnel,” he said. Other initiatives and programs include the Veterans Planning Guide, the Dignity Memorial Homeless Veterans Burial Program, educational veterans’ seminars and special pricing and benefits for members of two veterans’ service organizations.

The Dignity Memorial network of more than 1,600 funeral, cremation and cemetery service providers is North America’s most trusted resource for funeral and memorialization services. Dignity Memorial providers offer an unmatched combination of products and locations serving families with care, integrity, respect and service excellence. For more information, visit www.DignityMemorial.com.