European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - November 11, 1985, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 8 the stars and stripes monday november 11, 1985 a group of Vietnam veterans reflected on the polished Black Granite of the Wall of names stands watch on the Washington mall for fallen comrades. Memorial brought celebrity to founder by Chuck Vonch Washington Bureau Washington Jan Scruggs is a Happy Man. In a country where inc Media can turn people Imp Folk heroes overnight. Scruggs who spent five years building a memorial to the vets we died in the Jungles of South cast Asia has been an item for some time. Lie s been on television shows and in magazines and newspapers. He has a Book out about the Vietnam vet Erans memorial. He s negotiating a si00,000 Deal to turn the Book into a to movie. He s hit the College lecture circuit. Between other commitments he docs consulting work. Scruggs has even been mentioned As a possible Candi Date for the Seal of retiring sen. Charles Mcc. Mathus jr., red. On veterans Day. Thousands of people will attend ceremonies on the mall at the site of the memorial Scruggs refers to As my  Scruggs. 35, works out of a nondescript office of the Vietnam veterans of America organisation in an equally Anonymous building in Washington. Aside from a desk and a computer the office is Bare. In one Corner sits an unmounted painting of a Vietnam Veteran holding a sign that says where s our Parade As veterans of other american wars March by in the background. Despite his other commitments the Wall remains vitally important to him. And there s some business that needs to be finished 96 More names soon will be etched into the Black Granite. This came about because a father wanted to know Why the name of his son was t on the Wall Scruggs said his son flew b-52 bomber missions out of Guam and was killed on a  he said the criterion for putting names on the Wall was that the people had to have been killed in inc War zone. The War zone was defined by executive order from the while House to include North and South Vietnam Cambodia and Laos. Guam was not the War zone so this flier was t killed in the War zone. It was a bit of a  after researching How Many people had been killed in similar circumstances. Scruggs had 96 names. In May the names will be added to Lite More than 58,000 already there. Scruggs said he fell a letdown after the memorial was completed with the do Dialion of a Bronze statue in no vember 1984. It was a High intensity emotional project that look a lot of work he said. It was the Type of thing where you put everything you have into it. 1 considered it my baby and it was hard to give that baby to the . Govern ment. But on the other hand it was a time for Cele bration because it was finally  Scruggs said he knew the memorial would be controversial but the controversy came from an unexpected source. We Felt the memorial would be controversial because of what was being memorialized he said. Even though we said we were honouring the veterans and not the War people had a hard time making the distinction Between the War and the Warrior. We thought the project would become the target of the political left and it did to a certain extent but ultimately it became the target of the right he said. According to Scruggs the right Felt that a Vietnam memorial should have been one that would help convince present and future generations that the War was a just cause. But that was t the original purpose he said. The controversy was just a result of the subject Vietnam is controversial. There was no consensus on the War Why should there have been a consensus on the memorial but having said that i have to add that we did have the support of Many  Scruggs plays Down the notion that he has become a celebrity. He said a line from a Magazine article describing him As just a regular Guy trying to get a Job done i essentially accurate. I Don t consider myself a Genius or anything for hav ing done this he said. It s a great feeling of Pride to have put All those f is names on the Washington d c Jan Scruggs in front of Vietnam veterans memorial mall and i never go there without being personally moved by what it stands for. A Bill l p no Var Compa myself to a celebrity. I alway thought that if i Ever got it built i d get some plaque to if"8 Dan Don jo.nn5�n. Sylvester Stallone they Renc celebrities in America not Guys who build Mcmorri but i know i be gotten a lot of attention and if i never do anything the rest of my life just getting my picture in National geographic is enough payment for