WASHINGTON, D.C. — Denny Ayers of Martinsburg is among more than 760 Vietnam veterans, including 47 from Pennsylvania, who will be inducted into the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund’s In Memory Program in 2026.

The In Memory program enables the families and friends of those who came home and later died the opportunity to have them be forever memorialized.

On June 20, VVMF will host the 2026 In Memory ceremony on the East Knoll of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, where each 2026 honoree’s name will be read aloud. This year, 768 veterans will be honored during the ceremony.

On Jan. 15, 1968, Ayers was drafted into the U.S. Army. He did his basic training at Fort Jackson, S.C., and AIT at Fort Gordon, Ga. (March 1968 to May 1968). In June 1968, he was sent to Vietnam, where he served in the Signal Corps for 11 months and 27 days, returning home in June 1969. His in-country tour of duty included Bien Hoa, Ban Me Thuot, assigned to Pleiku in the Central Highlands area attached to the 1st Charlie Division, An Khe, and departure via Quy Nhon. He was honorably discharged on Jan. 15, 1970, with military decorations of two O/S Bars, National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, Vietnam Campaign Medal, Sharpshooter Badge Rifle M14, Expert Badge Rifle M16 and Cold War Certificate. He earned the grade rank SP4 with the 414th Signal Corps.

“For many Vietnam veterans, coming home from Vietnam was just the beginning of a whole new fight. Many never fully recovered, either physically or emotionally, from their experiences. As these veterans pass, it is our duty and solemn promise to welcome them home to the place that our nation has set aside to remember our Vietnam veterans,” said Jim Knotts, president and CEO of VVMF.

The plaque that honors these veterans was dedicated as a part of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial site in 2004. It reads: 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.

VVMF has created a personal remembrance page for each honoree online in the In Memory Honor Roll at www.vvmf.org/honor-roll. Their photos will also be displayed around the country when VVMF’s mobile exhibit, The Wall That Heals, is on display in an honoree’s home state. To view the 2026 tour schedule for The Wall That Heals, visit https://www.vvmf.org/The-Wall-That-Heals/.

The 2026 In Memory ceremony will be shown live on VVMF’s Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/VietnamVeteransMemorialFund) and on VVMF’s website (www.vvmf.org/live) beginning at 10 a.m. The recorded video of the In Memory ceremony will be made available shortly after the conclusion of the ceremony. The In Memory program was created in 1993 and, after this year’s ceremony, will have honored more than 8,300 veterans. For more information on the In Memory program or to apply to have a loved one honored in 2027, visit www.vvmf.org/inmemory.