On June 12, 2008, the Ambassador of Romania to the United States, Mr. Adrian Vierita, accompanied by Mr. Armand Scala, Chairman of the Congress of Romanian Americans, placed a wreath at the Victims of Communism Memorial, during a ceremony marking the first anniversary of the dedication of this Washington DC monument.
Secretary of Commerce Carlos Gutierrez, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, alongside other congressmen, ambassadors, dignitaries and different organizations participated in the anniversary event.
During the ceremony, the late Congressman Tom Lantos was posthumously presented with the Truman Reagan Medal of Freedom award, received by his wife, Mrs. Annette Lantos. Also, a preview of the Global Museum on Communism, due to open in 2009, was presented.
