memorial at a local meeting of the Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA) shortly thereafter. He proposed an obelisk high, erected without government funds, with the names of the dead inscribed on it. His idea was strongly opposed. Some felt the idea naive, while others argued it would distract the organization from winning better benefits for veterans. Scruggs announced the formation of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund (VVMF) on May 28, 1979, the start of Vietnam Veterans Week (a commemorative occasion organized by the VVA). He asked for and received permission from the Department of Labor for a week off to devote to his project. Scruggs soon quit his government job, spending 11 hours a day, six days a week running the VVMF. His wife, an administrative assistant for the Paralyzed Veterans of America, became the sole breadwinner in the family. After two months, Scruggs had raised just $144.50. About this time, CBS News weekend and weekday substitute anchorman Roger Mudd aired a report on the CBS Evening News ridiculing the fundraising effort. Mudd's brief report was used as material by late-night comedians. Mudd's report, however, also raised the VVMF's profile, and soon Scruggs was raising thousands of dollars (most of the donations in the $5 and $10 range). Chuck Hagel, then deputy administrator of the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, became an early backer of the project, helping to steer even more donors the VVMF's way. John P. Wheeler III also saw the CBS News report. Wheeler, a Vietnam War veteran and attorney who led the drive to erect the Southeast Asia Memorial at the United States Military Academy (West Point), agreed to join the VVMF on a volunteer basis and help coordinate legislation, public relations and fundraising drive. Other graduates of West Point were crucial including Robert M Kimmitt, who later became the U.S. Ambassador to Germany. Scruggs gives credit for success of the endeavor to the graduates of West Point who volunteered their services and advice. Over the next two years, Scruggs raised more than $8 million from private donors. He spearheaded the VVMF's legislative effort to get Congress to authorize the memorial and approve its location on the National Mall, and he shepherded the memorial's controversial design past the United States Commission of Fine Arts and other federal and local agencies. The work transformed Scruggs, says his wife, who "went from being a passive person to