Today’s Veterans Day marks the 25th anniversary of the Vietnam Women’s Memorial on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., a complement to the iconic Vietnam Veterans Memorial. The Wall itself, completed in 1982, lists the names of more than 58,000 Americans killed in the Vietnam conflict. For over a decade, an education center nearby was planned — but that effort ended last month. Jan C. Scruggs, founder of The Wall fund, explains why, below.

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Hawaii has always had real heroes who have shown bravery when called upon by the nation. The late U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye is one we all remember; U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard is another who risked her life with American troops. There are many others, including two who now deserve public acclaim for their sacrifices.

Honolulu lawyer Allen Hoe could have escaped the Vietnam War, but chose probably the most dangerous job for a U.S. soldier. He was a combat medic with the 196th Light Infantry Brigade who served gallantly — as did his son three decades later. On Jan. 22, 2005, Lt. Nainoa Hoe had left his vehicle to lead American soldiers into Mosul, Iraq, when a trained sniper took aim. Thus ended the life of a talented young leader and great surfer with a recent MBA from the University of Hawaii.

Janna Hoehn is another Hawaii hero, living in Maui for decades. In 2010, I encouraged her to get photos of all the Vietnam War fallen from Maui. She took on the task with vigor and found pictures of all 42 Maui veterans who lost their lives in Vietnam. She was energized and began a larger mission. Soon she was traveling to Utah, California, Texas and beyond getting over 7,000 photos of fallen Americans for the Education Center at The Wall, a museum authorized by Congress in 2003.

I led the Center effort, getting support from many prominent Americans, ranging from Gen. Colin Powell to Jimmy Buffett. Major donations came from Coca- Cola, Time Warner and others.

Yet all was not well behind the scenes. In 2014, I left as president of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund (VVMF). By 2015, success of the Education Center fundraising seemed very remote. In April 2016, I called for an end to the campaign — but the board and staff were confident, and continued raising money from places like the Korean and Australian governments. Gold Star Families and people like Janna continued giving money to a hopeless cause.

Last Veterans Day I was in a coma and not expected to live: I had endocarditis, an infected heart valve. Amazingly, in December 2017, I gradually awoke, and within a month, was out of a wheelchair. By June, I was playing golf, lifting weights, walking a couple of miles a day and making plans for the future.

My major goal upon full recovery was to bring an end to the Education Center at The Wall. To me, the plans to obtain funding were both laughable and tasteless. A hedge fund king in Manhattan would give $100 million in exchange for naming of the facility after his family. If this failed, 10,000 Vietnam vets would be urged to give $10,000 each. This madcap endeavor needed to end.

Meanwhile, honest people were helping, like Allen and Janna; she raised more than $70,000 for the VVMF. But there was no chance for the Education Center to be built, and it was time to bring it to an end.

I assembled a team in May 2018, and we quietly went to war in the U.S. Senate and elsewhere with a flexible public relations strategy. We intended to get the millions of dollars returned to donors. Janna was amazed that the Education Center was about to end, since she, like the general public, thought it was inevitable. Despite no real chance of success, money kept rolling in from people like Janna. Enough was enough.

The Center’s end was announced on Oct. 3. The work by Janna will be appreciated by many people who will see these photos on great websites like www.virtualwall.org. The profound sacrifices of Allen Hoe and his family will continue to inspire our nation and its Armed Forces.

People like Janna and Allen make America great. America is excellent, really. Their work can inspire others to volunteerism and doing good deeds for others.

Jan C. Scruggs is a lawyer and founder of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund in Washington, D.C.