(Tribune News Service) — Kenneth Guisewite is one of 30 Vietnam War veterans from Pennsylvania who will be honored Saturday as part of the “In Memory” program that seeks to recognize all who served their country in the war.

Sponsored by the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund , the program honors Vietnam veterans who returned home from the war and later died as a result of their service. A total of 774 veterans from across the country will be part of this year’s ceremony, with the VVMF noting in a press release that all of those who served in the war should be honored and remembered for their service.

Guisewite, of Rebersburg, Pa., died on June 7, 2024. His widow, Donna Guisewite, said he’d learned about the program and asked her to submit his name.

“He gave it to me and said, ‘Would you please do this for me after I pass?’ I kept it and I did the application,” she said. “I just feel that more Vietnam veterans need to know about this program.”

VVMF is a nonprofit organization that, in 1982, facilitated the construction of “The Wall” as part of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington. The Wall lists the names of all the 58,318 Vietnam soldiers killed or missing during the war between 1959 and 1975.

As an extension of their mission, VVMF began hosting the “In Memory” program in 1999 to further honor those who served during the Vietnam War. A plaque that honors the veterans was dedicated as part of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial site in 2004, according to the release.

“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,” VVMF president and CEO Jim Knotts said in the release.

This year, honorees will have their names read aloud at the George Washington Masonic National Memorial in Alexandria, Va. The ceremony is usually held at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, but was relocated due to the military parade being held Saturday.

Along with the ceremony, Guisewite and other new honorees have been added to the “In Memory Honor Roll,” an online database that features the images and a brief biography of the over 6,500 previous honorees. Guisewite’s page can be found here.

Guisewite served in the U.S. Army from 1965-1972 and was transferred to Corpus Christi Naval Base in Texas in January 1971 to work on repairing helicopters. From there, he was sent to Vietnam to repair helicopters and boats, his bio page reads.

The helicopters he repaired sprayed Agent Orange, Donna Guisewite said, which was how he was exposed to the highly toxic chemical compound.

His exposure to Agent Orange eventually resulted in Guisewite’s death from interstitial lung disease last year.

Though Donna Guisewite won’t be able to make it to this year’s ceremony, she shared pride in her husband’s service, and honors his legacy with military memorabilia scattered around her house.

When her husband was alive, he too honored his fellow servicemen when he visited a mobile replica of The Wall memorial.

“It was very emotional for him because one of his friends that he went through the schooling with was killed over there [in Vietnam] and his name is on the wall,” she said.

Donna Guisewite also expressed support for the VVMF organization, and urged anyone able to donate.

“They will help you in any way that they can. If you’re in need, they’ll hook you up to wherever,” she said. “But the main thing is that they want to remember these veterans who gave their lives for our country.”

To view the ceremony online, visit vvmf.org/live on June 14. The livestream begins at 10 a.m. EST.

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