SALEM, OR -- Work is finally underway on a Vietnam Veterans Memorial at the Oregon State Capitol, despite falling short of a fundraising goal. Steve Bates, President of the nonprofit Vietnam War Memorial Fund, says they need another $384,000 to complete phase one, but the group decided it couldn’t wait any longer to move forward. "We’ve been at this for seven years. And in those seven years, we’ve lost untold numbers of Vietnam veterans who actually went to their grave not knowing that the state of Oregon really appreciated what they did for us in fighting in Vietnam." Bates says rising construction costs also pushed the group to start now. If needed, he says they will borrow money to complete the work. Click HERE to learn more about the project, including how to contribute.
Engravers in Hillsboro are now working to put the names of 790 Oregonians killed in action on 20 granite columns. "In order for us to put a name on that column, that person either was born in Oregon, they went to school in Oregon, their surviving family lived in Oregon or they resided in Oregon," says Bates. A total of 48 columns will be erected on the grounds of the State Capitol in Salem, "From a distance, it looks like a wall," says Bates, "But when you approach it, you see that it’s a broken wall, demonstrating the lack of support that our Vietnam veterans received. In comparison to the World War II memorial, which is a solid wall; that had solid support."
Phase one also includes installation of a sculpture depicting a soldier returning from the Vietnam War.
A portion of Willson Park, inside the State Capitol State Park, is temporarily closed for site prep. Crews are removing eight trees, "Two pine trees and six small crabapple trees," says Stefanie Knowlton, with Oregon State Parks. "The trees are not Heritage Trees, and they’re not considered significant in terms of their age or history." Knowlton adds, "It is a small area of the park and the acre-sized closure will be through the next month. And as soon as they’re finished with some of the electrical and water construction they will reduce that by half." The park is expected to fully reopen in the fall, once installation is complete.
Bates hopes to dedicate and open the memorial before Veterans Day. Interpretive signs will be installed later, following a second round of fundraising.
