WASHINGTON (AP) — Jill Biden, the wife of Vice President Joe Biden, says many Americans don’t know anyone in the military, and that’s why the nation needs an education center to tell their stories on the National Mall.
Biden joined Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and military families for a ceremonial groundbreaking Wednesday for a new education center at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
The $85 million Education Center at The Wall will tell the stories of 58,000 soldiers who died in the Vietnam War and also will honor fallen soldiers from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The group that built the Vietnam memorial has told The Associated Press that it is expanding the scope of the planned education center to include more recent service members.
Organizers still must raise $38 million for construction.
(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
