Guest Column: Honoring our Vietnam veterans

Published 12:30 am Saturday, June 26, 2021

The 2021 session started with the hope that the state Legislature would honor our Vietnam veterans by passing a bill to establish a Vietnam War Memorial on the Oregon State Capitol grounds.

State Senate Bill 319 was introduced by the Senate Committee on Veterans and Emergency Preparedness. This bill dedicates a portion of Capitol State Park to a Vietnam War Memorial to be funded and constructed by a qualified nonprofit corporation.

SB 319, in its last paragraph, declares an emergency. Its preamble states over 180,000 Oregonians served during the Vietnam War, of which about 100,000 are alive today. The average age of these veterans is 70 and older. Oregon is losing up to eight Vietnam Veterans per day. This is based upon data from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

SB 319 states, “It is imperative to memorialize the service and sacrifice of all who served during the tumultuous decades of the Vietnam War.” This should be done before our Vietnam veterans are gone.

The Senate passed SB 319 with a 29-0 vote in March. On Tuesday, the House of Representatives passed the bill with a 58-0 vote. It now awaits the governors’s signature.

In 2017, the Vietnam War Memorial Fund was founded as a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit corporation, with the sole mission of funding and constructing a Vietnam War Memorial on the Oregon State Capitol grounds. For a year and a half, its steering committee met regularly and developed a design for the proposed memorial. The design was adopted in July 2019.

During 2020, the design was reviewed and approved by the Oregon Capitol Planning Commission and the Salem Historic Landmarks Commission. The design was also approved by the Oregon Parks and Recreation Commission in February. Subsequently, the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department and the Vietnam War Memorial Fund have entered into a memorandum of understanding that outlines each entity’s responsibilities going forward.

The approved design includes interpretive panels which will detail historic events and facts of the Vietnam War. This information will be developed later in the process by the steering committee. The steering committee will consist of veterans, local and national historians, interpreters, local and state public officials and people representing Oregon’s Vietnamese and Southeast Asian communities.

This project has met all local and state requirements, with over a dozen public hearings or forums. As a result, the Legislature voted to honor our Vietnam veterans by passing SB 319 and setting aside space for a Vietnam War Memorial on the Capitol grounds.

With the governor’s signature, the major permissions will be in place to construct a memorial. While there are state and local requirements to be met, the greatest challenge remaining is raising the $3 million needed to complete the project.

As we approach the Fourth of July holiday, remember to honor all of our veterans. Freedom is not free! In particular, you can honor our Vietnam veterans with a contribution to the Vietnam War Memorial project.