Vietnam War Memorials
An Illustrated Reference to Veterans Tributes Throughout the United States
by Jerry L. Strait and Sandra S. Strait
ISBN 0-89950-329-2  $42.50 library binding  240 pp.

(Now on sale for $20.00)

ARIZONA

Phoenix

Through his work, noted sculptor Jasper d'Ambrosi has created an exceptional tribute to the courage and brotherhood that bonds Vietnam veterans together, then and now. His larger-than-life statue of three soldiers is the focal point of the Arizona Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Wesley Bolin Plaza, part of the Capitol grounds in Phoenix. The statue is encircled by ten columns of black granite engraved with the names of the 613 Arizonans lost or missing in Vietnam.

A plaque on the memorial reads:

We the citizens of the state of Arizona dedicate this memorial to our men and women who served in the armed forces of the United State of America during the Vietnam War.

These granite columns symbolize the more than ten-year duration of that war. They bear the names of those who gave their lives and those who are still prisoners, or missing in action.

We honor them for their courage, dedication and sacrifice.

Let us always remember!

Dedicated November 9, 1985

DELAWARE

Wilmington

Seventeen M-16 rifles inserted barrels down, with helmets placed on the rifle butts and jungle boots alongside, marked the seventeen campaigns of the Vietnam War on Veterans Day 1983 in Wilmington, Delaware. This was all part of the dedication ceremonies for the New Castle County Vietnam Veterans Memorial. The powerful nine-foot bronze statue, entitled "Vietnam" was created by Charles Parks of Wilmington. A solemn look of disbelief crosses the face of the lone black soldier as he carries the lifeless body of his white brother. Beneath his feet, on a tall brick mound, are the names of 166 Delaware residents who lost their lives in Southeast Asia.

WASHINGTON D.C.

On November 16, 1983, the Department of Defense dedicated a special display in the Pentagon honoring the many contributions made by the women who serve in the armed forces of the United States. It is located in the "A Ring" (the innermost hallway of the Pentagon) between corridors 6 and 7 on the second floor. The display consists of ten cases and a wall display of photographs and artwork relating to women in the military.

Case 7 of the display contains a photo and biography of First Lieutenant Sharon Lane, Army Nurse Corps. Lieutenant Lane was one of about 7,500 women who served in Southeast Asia, most of whom were Army, Navy, or Air Force nurses. In all, eight women died while on duty in Vietnam, most in aircraft crashes. Lieutenant Lane was the only American servicewoman killed as a result of enemy action during the Vietnam War. Her biography in the lower left-hand corner of the display case reads:

Sharon A. Lane

Fist Lieutenant Sharon A. Lane, Army Nurse Corps, was the only American servicewoman killed as a result of enemy action during the Vietnam War. She died on June 8, 1969, of wounds received during a rocket attack while on duty at the 312th Evacuation Hospital in Chu Lai, Republic of Vietnam. In November 1969, Fitzsimons General Hospital in Denver, Colorado, where she first served as an Army nurse, dedicated the Lane Recovery Suite in her memory. In 1973, a life-size statue of Lieutenant Lane was unveiled at her alma matter, Aultman Hospital, in her home town of Canton, Ohio.

MAINE

Benton

Family and friends of Sgt. Brian L. Bucker raised funds to erect a granite monument on the front lawn of the small church in Benton that he attended as a child. The monument honors Brian and several other area war veterans, who names are also engraved thereon.

Below the likeness of Brian's smiling face on the stone is etched the Congressional Medal of Honor awarded to him for his gallantry, and these words:

Sgt. Brian L. Buker was killed in action while serving with an Army Special Forces unit in Vietnam, on April 5, 1970. He was posthumously awarded our nation's highest decoration, the Congressional Medal of Honor, for bravery under fire, above and beyond the call of duty.

He will live in our hearts forever.

NEW MEXICO

Angel Fire

Perched high on a hillside overlooking the magnificent Moreno Valley of Northern New Mexico is a sanctuary of quiet reflection. The Vietnam Veterans Peace and Brotherhood Chapel rests like a gull on the side of the mountains of the Sangre de Cristo range, surrounded by wildflowers of every hue. The chapel, near Angel Fire, was built in 1971 by Dr. Victor Westphall in memory of his son, David, who was killed by enemy ambush in Vietnam.

Dr. Westphall wanted us to remember his son and all the others who died in the war with pride and dignity and to pray that war would never have to take young lives again. He and his family built the simple chapel themselves. The triangular interior features a place for quiet meditation, with a single cross and a tall, narrow window at the apex. Opposite the apex is a wall of photos of Americans lost in the war.

After the chapel was dedicated, Dr. Westphall would close it each night, until one morning when he arrived to find a message from a young veteran scrawled across a board use to bar the door. It read, "I needed to come in and you locked me out." Since then the chapel has been open all hours, with special lighting added to illuminate the way.

By 1982 Dr. Westphall and his family could no longer manage the chapel alone, and the Disabled American Veterans formed an organization to assume the responsibility. They have since renamed the chapel the D.A.V. Vietnam Veterans National Memorial and have added a visitors center in order to display the memorabilia given to Dr. Westphall by grateful veterans and families.

NORTH CAROLINA

Raleigh

North Carolina remembers its 206,000 Vietnam veterans, especially the 1,600 who died there and the 61 who are still missing. The North Carolina Vietnam Veterans Homecoming Salute was held May 22-24, 1987, to honor these veterans and to dedicate the state's new memorial located in Union Square, the State Capitol grounds in Raleigh. The memorial is an outstanding bronze sculpture by artist Abbe Godwin of Greensboro. The sculpture captures the likeness of two combat infantrymen carrying a wounded friend to a medivac. It realistically depicts the intensity of emotion in battle, as well as the compassion. The sculpture was cast at the Joel Meisner foundry in Plainview, New York, the same foundry that cast Frederick Hart's statue, "The Three Fighting Men" located across from "The Wall" in Washington, D.C. …

TEXAS

Randolph Air Force Base

For many years airmen have flown the "Missing Man Formation" as a tribute to those lost in battle. On March 4, 1977, the San Antonio chapter of the Red River Valley Fighter Pilots Association dedicated their own Missing Man Monument, a 25-foot aluminum and steel version of the famous formation, to all Americans lost in Southeast Asia during the War.

The members of the association and wives of the POWs and MIAs raised the money for this magnificent memorial by selling thousands of POW/MIA bracelets. The sculpture stands beside Building 100 on Randolph Air Force Base in Texas. It was created by Mark Pritchett of Helotes, Texas.

Across the base is written:

We who came home must never forget those who could not.

TEXAS

San Antonio

"Hill 881" is the title of the Vietnam veterans memorial in San Antonio, Texas. It depicts a soldier leaning over to give aid to a wounded buddy. The battle on Hill 881 was one of the fiercest in Vietnam. Many American lives were lost on that hill. The statue was dedicated in November of 1986, with a huge crowd in attendance. It is located in front of the Municipal Auditorium.

FLORIDA

Tallahassee

Florida's state monument, the Vietnam Era Veterans Memorial, built near the Old Capitol in Tallahassee, is an exceptionally impressive commemoration. It consists of two forty-foot pylons with a huge American flag draped between them.

Floridians are proud to report that the 1984 State Legislature set aside over $460,000 to fund this unique memorial, designed by James R. Kolb and dedicated Veteran Day 1985. The names of Florida residents who died in or are missing because of the war are inscribed on the inside polished stone of the pylons.

GEORGIA

Snellville

On May 4, 1985, a crowd of over 6,000 was present to witness the unveiling of the Vietnam Memorial in Snellville, Georgia. The lighting of the eternal flame atop the monument concluded the dedication ceremony, which featured guest speaker U.S. Senator Mack Mattingly, a twenty-one-gun salute, the playing of taps, and a missing-in-action fly-over provided by the 116th Tactical Fighter Wing. The proud sponsors of this seven-foot-tall, ten-ton monument carved from native Georgia blue-gray granite were the Snellville Jaycees.

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