Widow of Vietnam War veteran encourages more nominees for In Memory program

A South Dakota woman wants more families of Vietnam veterans to know about a national program honoring those who came home from war and later died.

Bonnie Bjork’s husband, Timothy, died on March 3. She said he suffered from health problems related to Agent Orange exposure. This year, he is being honored through the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund’s In Memory program.

“I believe very few individuals know about this program,” Bjork told South Dakota Searchlight. “And these men deserve to be honored.” 

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Agent Orange was a herbicide used by the U.S. military during the Vietnam War to remove jungle cover and destroy crops. It’s also highly toxic, and many Vietnam-era veterans later developed illnesses that the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs now treats as connected to Agent Orange exposure, including several cancers, diabetes, Parkinson’s disease and more.  

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

The In Memory program was created in 1993. It honors veterans whose names are not inscribed on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial — having been fortunate enough to come home — but who later died. More than 7,000 veterans have been added to the online In Memory Honor Roll since the program began, including 36 South Dakotans. 

Those honorees will be recognized when The Wall That Heals, a three-quarter-scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, comes to the Fishback Soccer Complex in Brookings June 11-14. The exhibit includes the digital photos of all In Memory honorees from the state where the exhibit is on display. Brookings is the traveling exhibit’s only South Dakota stop this year.

Having a veteran honored by the In Memory program also includes an invitation to the In Memory Weekend in Washington, D.C., and an invitation to join a Facebook group that gives family and friends an online community to connect and share their stories.

The 2026 In Memory ceremony is scheduled for June 20. The ceremony will be streamed live on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund’s website.