THE WALL OF FACES

During a "clandestine, spontaneous happening" at the CPT Rocky Versace Plaza and Vietnam Veterans Memorial on Memorial Day 2020, the "Friends of Rocky Versace" remembered MIA SFC Douglas Randolph Blodgett, U.S. Army, as well as Alexandria's 67 other Vietnam War Fallen Heroes. A video of the "happening" is available for viewing at this link/URL:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/imz166z2qreygsu/Friends%20of%20Rocky%20Versace%2C%20Memorial%20Day%202020.mp4?dl=0MIA.

The Department of Defense conducted ceremonies at the Pentagon and at Hickam AFB on Friday, 18 September 2020 in recognition of POW/MIA Recognition Day. Deputy Defense Secretary David L. Nordquist remembered the 1,586 MIAs from the Vietnam War as well as all those still unaccounted for from WWII, the Korean War, the Cold War and other conflicts. Director (Maj. Gen, USAFR, ret) Kelly McKeague of the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) also recorded a separate video message to Gold Star MIA families. Additionally, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund (VVMF) produced a “virtual” event on 18 Sep. Since the 2019 Ceremony, DPAA has positively identified 1 Vietnam War MIA. Sergeant First Class Douglas Randolph Blodgett, USA, is one of those 1,586 MIAs unaccounted for in Southeast Asia from the Vietnam War. He is also one of 7 MIAs whose name is chiseled into a stone bench beneath a Gold Star at the Captain Rocky Versace Plaza and Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Alexandria, VA. The other 6 MIAs (rank, name & service) are: (1) Major Joe Davies, USAF; (2) Major Morgan Donahue, USAF; (3) 1LT Larry Lilly, USA; (4) 1LT Leland McCants, USA; (5) CPT Humbert “Rocky” Versace, USA; & (6) SA John Winkler, USN.

This is the link to the DoD/DVIDS video for the Pentagon ceremony:
https://www.dvidshub.net/video/766486/defense-officials-recognize-prisoners-war-missing-service-members-ceremony

This is the link to the DoD/DVIDS video for the Hickam AFB ceremony:
https://www.dvidshub.net/video/766491/admiral-commemorates-prisoners-war-and-missing-service-members-ceremony

This is the link to the DPAA Director McKeague’s video statement:
https://vimeo.com/454474340

This is the link to the VVMF virtual remembrance: https://www.vvmf.org/POWMIA-2020/

The “Friends of Rocky Versace” remember one of the 68 men whose name is chiseled into stone beneath a Gold Star at the Captain Rocky Versace Plaza and Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Alexandria, Sergeant First Class Douglas Randolph Blodgett, on what would’ve been his 73rd birthday – 1 May 2020. Shown is SFC Blodgett's Gold Star and Name on the Memorial.

The Department of Defense conducted a ceremony at the Pentagon on Friday, 20 September 2019 in recognition of POW/MIA Recognition Day. Deputy Defense Secretary David L. Nordquist remembered the 1,587 MIAs from the Vietnam War as well as all those still unaccounted for from WWII, the Korean War, the Cold War and other conflicts. Since the 2018 Ceremony, DPAA has positively identified 7 Vietnam War MIAs. SFC Douglas Randolph Blodgett, USA, is one of those 1,587 MIAs unaccounted for in Southeast Asia from the Vietnam War. He is also one of 7 MIAs whose name is chiseled into a stone bench beneath a Gold Star at the Captain Rocky Versace Plaza and Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Alexandria, VA. The other 6 MIAs (rank, name & service) are: (1) Major Joe Davies, USAF; (2) Major Morgan Donahue, USAF; (3) 1LT Larry Lilly, USA; (4) 1LT Leland McCants, USA; (5) CPT Humbert “Rocky” Versace, USA; & (6) SA John Winkler, USN.

This is the link to the DoD story about the ceremony:

https://www.defense.gov/explore/story/Article/1967474/prisoners-of-war-missing-in-action-remembered-at-pentagon-ceremony/

This is the link to the C-Span video of the ceremony:

https://www.c-span.org/video/?464524-1/pentagon-hosts-national-powmia-recognition-day-ceremony

I served with Douglas. On April 18, 1968 I was assigned to replace Douglas on the following day because Doug had a cast on his wrist. He removed it and replaced me. Lost a few friends that day