Kennewick veteran Rod Bluechel to be inducted in Vietnam memorial

Rod Bluechel, a Vietnam veteran from Kennewick who died in 2014, is one of five Washington veterans who will be inducted in the Vietnam Veterans Memorial In Memory program in June.

The program began in 1999 to honor veterans who are not eligible to have their names inscribed in the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall under Department of Defense guidelines.

To date, it has honored more than 2,500 veterans whose deaths were attributed to their service in Vietnam. Bluechel died April 2, 2014 of causes related to exposure to Agent Orange, the widely used toxic defoliant. He was 75, according to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund.

During the June 18 program, the names of 312 service members will be read aloud at ceremonies on the East Knoll of the memorial in Washington, D.C.

Certificates bearing their names will be placed at the memorial and later gathered for inclusion in the permanent archives of the National Park Service.

Bluechel served in the Army between 1960 and 1963 and was deployed during that time to Vietnam. He was nominated by his wife, Candice Bluechel.

He was well known in the Tri-City veterans community for his work with the Columbia Basin Veterans Coalition and his efforts on behalf of homeless veterans.

The other Washington inductees are Steven P. Croft of Blaine, Michael A. Hemphill of Buckley, Walter S. Jones of Tulalip and Dennis R. Thieman of Buckley.

This story was originally published May 28, 2016 at 1:03 PM with the headline "Kennewick veteran Rod Bluechel to be inducted in Vietnam memorial."