# Widow urges more Vietnam veteran nominations for national memorial program  
**Published:** 2026-05-25T12:17:52.000Z  
**Source:** [Nebraska Examiner](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/05/25/repub/widow-of-vietnam-war-veteran-encourages-more-nominees-for-in-memory-program/)  
**AI-generated:** yes (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001)  
**Canonical:** https://lincolne.news/article/widow-urges-more-vietnam-veteran-nominations-for-national-memorial-program

A South Dakota widow is encouraging families of Vietnam War veterans to nominate their loved ones for [a national program honoring veterans who returned home from war but later died](https://www.vvmf.org/In-Memory-Program/), according to reporting by the [Nebraska Examiner](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/05/25/repub/widow-of-vietnam-war-veteran-encourages-more-nominees-for-in-memory-program/).

Bonnie Bjork's husband, Timothy, died March 3 from health complications related to Agent Orange exposure. He is being honored this year through the [Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund's In Memory program](https://www.vvmf.org/Honor-Roll/), which commemorates veterans whose names do not appear on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial wall because they survived the war but died later.

Bjork said she believes few people are aware of the program. "These men deserve to be honored," she told South Dakota Searchlight.

Timothy Bjork served in the Army and completed two tours in Vietnam. He later earned a biology degree from Dakota State University and worked for the South Dakota Department of Environment and Natural Resources before becoming executive director of the South Dakota Parks and Wildlife Foundation.

[Agent Orange, a herbicide used by the U.S. military during the Vietnam War](https://www.publichealth.va.gov/PUBLICHEALTH/exposures/agentorange/conditions/index.asp), is highly toxic and has been connected to numerous illnesses in veterans. [The Department of Veterans Affairs presumes that certain cancers and other health problems are associated with Agent Orange exposure](https://www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/agentorange/), including diabetes and Parkinson's disease.

Created in 1993, the In Memory program has honored more than 7,000 veterans since its inception. The program provides families with an invitation to In Memory Weekend in Washington, D.C., and access to a Facebook group where relatives can share their stories and connect with other families.

Those honored will be recognized when [The Wall That Heals, a traveling three-quarter-scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, comes to Brookings, South Dakota](https://cityofbrookings-sd.gov/908/The-Wall-That-Heals-2026) from June 11-14. The exhibit is the only scheduled South Dakota stop this year. The digital photos of all In Memory honorees from the state are displayed at each location.

The 2026 In Memory ceremony is scheduled for June 20 and will be [streamed live on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund's website](https://www.vvmf.org/live/).

## Sources

- [Nebraska Examiner](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/05/25/repub/widow-of-vietnam-war-veteran-encourages-more-nominees-for-in-memory-program/)
- [Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund In Memory Program](https://www.vvmf.org/In-Memory-Program/)
- [Department of Veterans Affairs Agent Orange health information](https://www.publichealth.va.gov/PUBLICHEALTH/exposures/agentorange/conditions/index.asp)

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This article was generated by AI (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001) based on source material from Nebraska Examiner, enriched with 2 web searches. The original source is available at https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/05/25/repub/widow-of-vietnam-war-veteran-encourages-more-nominees-for-in-memory-program/.