"Jaded Fundraising" Victimized Angel Fire Memorial

"Jaded Fundraising" Victimized Angel Fire Memorial Built ten years before the Wall, Angel Fire was widely recognized as the first national Vietnam veterans memorial before it was used and abused by Jan Scruggs.

By Linda Merz
Special to The U.S. Veteran Dispatch
June/July/August 1997

From its seemingly humble beginnings in the late 1970s, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund (VVMF) has grown from what initially appeared to be a pledge to honor Vietnam veterans by building a national memorial in Washington, D.C., into a multi-million dollar operation whose "jaded fundraising activities" have been questioned on ABC and CBS news broadcasts.

The U.S. Veteran Dispatch has written numerous articles questioning what the VVMF does with the millions of dollars raised under the pretext of "maintaining the Wall," a responsibility that is taken care of by the taxpayer through the National Park Service.

The Memorial Fund has raised an estimated $12 million since the original $7 million used to build the memorial and no one seems to know what its president and founder, Jan Scruggs, does with the money.

Interestingly, Scruggs' National Vietnam Veterans Memorial was not the first national memorial built to honor Vietnam veterans. The DAV Vietnam Veterans National Memorial, located in a high mountain valley between Eagle Nest and Angel Fire in northern New Mexico, was the first.

Until the Wall was dedicated in 1982, Angel Fire, as the DAV (Disabled American Veterans) Memorial has become known, had been receiving national attention for nearly a decade and was generally accepted as the nation's memorial to the Vietnam veterans.

Dr. Victor Westphall, founder and Director Emeritus of Angel Fire, began planning the memorial with its Vietnam Veterans Peace and Brotherhood Chapel, just five days after Dr. Westphall's son and namesake, Victor David Westphall III, died in an enemy ambush in Quang Tri Province on May 22, 1968. The proceeds from his military insurance policy provided seed money from which the Vietnam Veterans Peace and Brotherhood Chapel would grow to symbolize the sacrifice as well as the futility and tragedy of war.

David's parents and brother wanted to "memorialize all Vietnam veterans--the living, the dead and the maimed in body and spirit"--and in 1968 led the nation in this fitting and contemplative token of love, honor and respect. "We had no idea of changing the mores of a nation. All we wanted to do was assure that our son, and all his buddies, were properly recognized."

Until 1977, it subsisted entirely on the Westphall family resources and public contributions.

Conceived and constructed before it was a popular thing to do, Sen. Pete Domenici (D-NM) twice introduced bills to provide for a study of the suitability and feasibility od designating it as a national memorial. Other proposals, including separate legislative attempts by Sens. Hart (D-CO), Warner (R-VA) and Schmitt (R-NM), to have the Chapel recognized as a national monument were equally unsuccessful.

At that time, the DAV, which recognized the importance of the project, stepped forward to provide much needed financial assistance. The donation of $100,000 spread over ten years also allowed for the necessary development and expansion of visitor services.

Sadly, one of Scruggs' first "jaded fundraising" victims was Angel Fire. In March 1979, the attention and prominence of the Angel Fire Memorial caught the eye of Scruggs, who recognized an opportunity to perpetuate his idea of a memorial in Washington. Scruggs called to inquire about reproducing the Memorial Chapel in Washington, but was told by Dr. Westphall that "there was no hill in Washington from which it might grow gracefully as it did overlooking the Moreno Valley." Dr. Westphall suggested that a design more appropriate for the nation's capital be selected and pledged his complete cooperation and Scruggs in turn pledged his support to the Chapel.

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund was incorporated the following month on April 27, 1979 and within days the first quest for donations was printed. The brochure prominently highlighted the Angel Fire Memorial and stated as one of its four purposes and objectives "to assist the Vietnam Veterans Peace and Brotherhood Chapel in Eagle Nest, New Mexico."

Scruggs reiterated his support by pledging $100,000 in a June 14, 1979 Stars and Stripes article . . . "We also intend to raise $100,000 for the Vietnam Veterans Chapel." In defining the charter of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, he then listed three purposes for its incorporation. The first to create, through private contributions, a memorial in the nation's capital to those who died and who served in Vietnam; the second to provide funds to complete the Vietnam Veterans Peace and Brotherhood Chapel; and third to contribute to other memorials to Vietnam War casualties and veterans in other locations.

This pledge of support was recognized by Sen. Charles McMathies, Jr., who stated in a January 22, 1980 letter, "The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund's main mission is to raise money for this memorial. This is not the only goal of the Fund, however. Another purpose is to assist the Vietnam Veterans Peace and Brotherhood Chapel in Eagle Nest, New Mexico. They plan a substantial contribution to the completion of this chapel." The pledge was also introduced into the Congressional record by Sen. Pete Domenici.

Not everyone was so confident and trusting of Scruggs' objectives. The VFW Post 4737 of Highland Park, Illinois, voiced concern directly to Dr. Westphall in a November 12, 1979 letter. "Two checks have been issued and are ready for mailing to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, Inc. However, it was brought up by some members that they believe that the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, Inc. is an anti-Vietnam veterans group and that this money may not find its way to support your chapel. Request you advise if it is more appropriate to make out the checks to the chapel."

While Scruggs freely used the memorial and chapel in his fundraising activities and public relations efforts, the Westphall family began to question the motives and greed of the VVMF. In June 1980, Douglas Westphall documented his concerns about the VVMF objectives and tactics in a letter to Jan Scruggs: "I speak, not incidentally, as a Vietnam War veteran myself who established a combat flight record while in possession of a humanitarian deferment form the hostile fire zone. It is my contention and the contention of many others associated with the Chapel that the utilization of even $1.5 million for your memorial, while other vital goals and needs of next of kin of War dead receive no monetary support, is based on a distorted set of priorities. Obviously a memorial in Washington can be justified, but next of kin of War dead need funds for ongoing educational and research efforts relating to the War (aside from funds needed to ensure that the Chapel is perpetuated). In the final analysis, any true reconciliation in the post-Vietnam era will not be created by the mere existence of any war memorial. Rather, it will be created as a product of an effort which integrates the emotional, analytical and philosophical facets of the post-Vietnam assessment. The Vietnam Veterans Chapel, as an ongoing concern, is the ideal vehicle through which something deserving of the term 'reconciliation' can be achieved."

The reservations expressed by the VFW members and the Westphall family regarding the credibility of the VVMF's objectives were well founded. Dr. Victor Westphall's loving memorial to honor his son and 12 buddies who perished with him, as well as all those who served in the war received a grand total of $205 from Scruggs' Memorial Fund.

Scruggs' article in Stars and Stripes also stated, "The Memorial Fund will dissolve at such time as a memorial to America's Vietnam War casualties and returnees is built in Washington, D.C., through private contributions." However, in 1984, a Memorandum of Conveyance formalized an ongoing relationship between the National Park Service and the VVMF. Ten years later, a joint statement issued by the National Park Service and the VVMF stated "VVMF is one of many nonprofit organizations which donate funds and programs that help sustain our national parks and monuments throughout the country."

If the VVMF continues to "sustain our national parks and monuments throughout the country," why has it not honored its initial pledge to Angel Fire, which honors all who served in the Vietnam War? It also raises questions as to how many other memorials throughout the country may have been promised assistance that was not forthcoming.

In the 1980s, Dr. Westphall personally invited Scruggs to visit with him in Angel Fire, since he was to speak to a veterans group in Albuquerque. The offer was declined and Scruggs to date has never visited the memorial which he so unscrupulously used for fundraising for the VVMF.

It isn't that the VVMF lacks the funds to honor their commitment. The 1996 IRS Form 990 indicates revenue for the year through direct public support as $1,637,154, a substantial increase from $833,186 in 1995. Scruggs even gave himself a raise and took home $73,333, an increase from $47,333 in 1995. The Fund's unsalaried part time Treasurer, Robert Frank, was again the accountant. Frank & Co. charged the VVMF $60,858 in accounting fees and $44,794 in consulting fees.

An inscription at the entrance to Angel Fire's Vietnam Veterans Peace and Brotherhood Chapel reads:

The Ultimate Curse
Greed plowed cities desolate
Lusts ran snorting thru the streets
Pride reared up to desecrate
Shrines, and there were no retreats.
So man learned to shed the tears
With which he measures out his years.

- Victor David Westphall III

The POW/MIA flag is prominently displayed next to the American flag on the grounds and within the chapel itself. Photographs, biographies and other memorabilia of all who served in Vietnam and throughout Southeast Asia are sensitively displayed in the memorial, is a copy of the Three Man statue and the original bronze miniature of the Women's Memorial. Memorial week 1997 brought more than 14,000 veterans and families to Angel Fire.

Veterans and families are invited to send photographs and as much information as possible on themselves or their loved one. Families of prisoners of war and those still missing as well as civilian internees are most welcome. Each month the photographs in the Chapel are rotated so that all whose pictures have been submitted are honored.

Tax deductible contributions can be mailed to: DAV Vietnam Veterans National Memorial, Inc.; 3725 Alexandria Pike, Cold Spring, KY 41076 or to DAV Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Inc.; P.O. Drawer 608, Angel Fire, NM 87710. For questions or to speak with Dr. Westphall, call 505-377-6900.

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