Moving Wall dedication in Virginia Beach honors Vietnam POWs and MIAs; Mission POW MIA president recounts family search

Virginia Beach — Mayor Bobby Dyer and community veterans gathered Nov. 7 at the Virginia Beach Convention Center to dedicate the Moving Wall, read a proclamation, lay a wreath and hear testimony from families and veterans organizations about continuing efforts to account for prisoners of war and those missing in action from the Vietnam War.

Mike Gooding, the event emcee and a longtime local journalist, opened the ceremony and introduced the invocation, color presentation and the mayor’s proclamation. Gooding said the wall bears 58,276 names and noted that the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) has recovered “over 1,000 sets of remains.” He also described the ongoing scale of accounting efforts as “approximately 1,570” U.S. personnel unaccounted for from the Vietnam War.

The proclamation was read by Mayor Bobby Dyer, who described Virginia Beach’s tradition of honoring veterans and highlighted the city-maintained Tidewater Veterans Memorial and the mayor’s committee on veterans’ role in upkeep and remembrance.

Dave Huffman, executive director of Mission POW MIA, delivered sponsor remarks on behalf of the group. Huffman thanked the mayor’s office and the city’s communications staff, recounted local family connections to MIA cases, and provided organizational activity figures: he said Mission POW MIA has traveled about 90,000 miles for research and outreach, conducted roughly 145 outreach and community events, and has “pinned and welcomed home over 600 Vietnam vets.” Huffman also encouraged attendees to join a ceremonial relighting of the Flame of Hope at Oceana Naval Air Station on Monday at 4:30 p.m.

Cindy Stonebraker Reed, president of Mission POW MIA, gave the keynote and spoke about her personal search for her father, Lt. Col. Kenneth Stonebraker, who she said went missing on Oct. 28, 1968. Reed described discovering new information through veterans’ networks, meeting with officials and DPAA staff about ongoing cases, and urged attendees to “tell the stories” of those whose names are on the wall. She said MIA sons and daughters will be stationed at the panels on Sunday to share family histories and encourage visitors to engage.

The program included presentation of the Mission POW MIA Character and Courage Community Service Award to local leaders Dan Doyle (president, Hampton Roads Council of Veterans Organizations) and Virgil Hart (chair, mayor’s committee for veterans). After the keynote, the mayor’s committee laid a wreath; chaplain David Yemmington (Vietnam Veterans of America, Virginia Beach chapter 969) offered a benediction; and Rick Bowling performed taps.

Organizers invited the public to view the panels and related displays throughout the convention center and to visit nearby memorials including the Tidewater Veterans Memorial and the Association of Naval Aviation Monument. Reed and Huffman both urged attendees to speak with MIA family members at the wall and to participate in the scheduled events that will continue through the weekend.

The dedication closed with a reminder of the group’s mission: to seek fuller accounting, support families and preserve the memory of service members who remain unreturned.