Seventeen IL Veterans to be Inducted into In Memory Program in 2023

Washington, D.C. – More than 500 Vietnam veterans, including seventeen from Illinois, will be inducted into the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund’s (VVMF) In Memory Program in 2023. Since the Vietnam War ended, thousands of Vietnam veterans have suffered due to Agent Orange exposure, PTSD and other illnesses as a result of their service. VVMF believes all those who served in Vietnam should be honored and remembered for their service. 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 17, 2023, VVMF will host the 2023 In Memory ceremony on the East Knoll of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, where each 2023 honoree’s name will be read aloud. This year, 567 service members will be honored during the ceremony.

“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.
2023 In Memory Inductees from Illinois:

Roger Wayne Ahrens, U.S. Marine Corps
Dundee, IL
July 13, 1950 – October 16, 2021

John R. Biksacky, U.S. Air Force
Channahon, IL
September 30, 1944 – February 26, 2012

Michael Philip Blackburn, U.S. Air Force
Caseyville, IL
June 7, 1945 – May 6, 2004

Gary L. Butler, U.S. Navy
Pittsfield, IL
May 26, 1947 – May 26, 2022

H. Russell Chambers, U.S. Navy
Spring Grove, IL
September 4, 1947 – July 7, 2019

John Allan Clark, U.S. Army
Chicago, IL
August 11, 1948 – November 5, 2006

Terry John Domek, U.S. Marine Corps
Palatine, IL
May 31, 1942 – August 30, 2014

Ronald C. Effler, U.S. Army
Creve Coeur, IL
November 8, 1946 – January 28, 2015

Thomas John Hathaway, U.S. Army
Moline, IL
December 6, 1945 – January 3, 2009

Ken Johnson, U.S. Air Force
Shabbona, IL
July 14, 1932 – May 13, 2022

Samson Keahna, U.S. Army
Chicago, IL
July 1, 1945 – April 5, 2007

Patrick J O'Brien, U.S. Navy
Chicago, IL
November 7, 1945 – October 13, 2022

Ronald Joseph Saville, U.S. Air Force
Alton, IL
October 9, 1949 – September 4, 2017

Rudy A Scott III, U.S. Air Force
Marion, IL
July 10, 1946 – March 7, 2006

Gayle Edward Sipes, U.S. Air Force
Canton, IL
November 17, 1948 – May 22, 2022

Robert W. Theroux, U.S. Army
Rockford, IL
December 16, 1945 – March 21, 2022

Michael Lynn Thornton, U.S. Army
Decatur, IL
September 7, 1946 – May 31, 2016

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.

The 2023 In Memory ceremony will be shown live on VVMF’s Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/VietnamVeteransMemorialFund) beginning at 10 a.m. ET on June 17, 2023. The In Memory program was created in 1993 and has since honored more than 6,000 veterans. For more information on the In Memory program or to apply to have your loved one honored in 2024, please visit: www.vvmf.org/inmemory.

About the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund
The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund (VVMF) is the nonprofit organization that founded the Vietnam Veterans Memorial (The Wall) in Washington, D.C. in 1982. VVMF continues to lead the way in paying tribute to our nation’s Vietnam veterans and their families. VVMF’s mission is to honor and preserve the legacy of service in America and educate all generations about the impact of the Vietnam War and era. To learn more about VVMF, visit www.vvmf.org or call 202-393-0090.