Only female Vietnam casualty from California honored

There are 5,676 names recognized on the California Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Sacramento — now including one woman, Adrienne Lee Schamp. 

On Sunday, the California Department of Veterans Affairs added the names of 20 veterans to the memorial — veterans who died of ailments related to Agent Orange. Per legislation signed by California Governor Jerry Brown in 2013, those who died of Vietnam War-related illnesses, no matter how many years after the war ended, would be honored as casualties of the conflict and included on the memorial.

Schamp, who died at 51 in 2001 from heart disease, is the first and only woman in the entire state to be recognized. 

Schamp served from July 1968 to April 1972, according to the local NBC affiliate. Her family members told Sierra Sun Times that Schamp served two tours of duty before opening a refugee for Vietnamese back home in California. She also earned her teaching credentials and served as a Sacramento Sheriff's deputy. 

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