Secretary Of Defense Leon Panetta Hosts Ceremony At Vietnam Veterans Memorial

WASHINGTON, DC – MAY 28: A Teleprompter blocks U.S. President Barack Obama as he waves with first lady Michelle Obama during a Memorial Day event a the Vietnam Veterans Memorial on the National Mall May 28, 2012 in Washington, DC. Today’s ceremony at the memorial is the first event in the ongoing, 13-year Vietnam 50th Anniversary Commemoration Program that, according to the Department of Defense, “will partner with other federal agencies, veterans groups, state, local government and non-government organizations to thank and honor veterans of the Vietnam War.” The black granite memorial bears the names of 58,272 military people who were killed in the Vietnam War. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)