(Update: Added video and observation by veteran Mark Wirges and Colonel Mike Brock)
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — Friday was National Vietnam Veterans Day, dedicated and honored to those who served in this long and complicated war. On a special occasion to mark the occasion, Bend Chapter 820 of America’s Vietnam Veterans rededicated the newly renovated Vietnam War Memorial at Deschutes Memorial Gardens.
About 50 more people gathered for the rite at the memorial, first dedicated in 1968 to Vietnamese veterans in the region who lost their lives. The names of servicemen who died after its creation were not added, and over the more than 50 years, the monument has begun to deteriorate.
“It took about 3 months of hard work for members and volunteers, whether it was fabrics, cash and paints,” Bill Gabriel told NewsChannel 21. “Now it has a new look. “
Mark Wirges, another veteran, said Friday: “When I was running at the memorial, my emotions were the same every time I changed again, because I knew the guys on the wall as well. And that meant a lot to me, it meant a lot to their families.
“Over the years, the concrete looked awful, the weed bloom was horrible,” he said. “So we looked at all of that and reconfigured the design you see today. We’ve given it a makeover and we’ve done a lot better, and anyway, we hope to capitalize on this for a few more years. “
In addition to cosmetic maintenance of the area, the renovation added a cobblestone walkway and made it available to the ADA.
The assignment would have charged $52,000. But with the participation of 14 local contractors and more than 15 loose weave and labor participants, the task ended up charging only $17,000.
Marine Colonel Mike Brock of Bend, guest speaker at the event.
“Today I identified the first and the last call on that wall,” he told the crowd. “There are 27 other summons at this monument. They all had one thing in common. They chose to serve our country at a time of wonderful strife and turmoil. . They. . . They were in the arena. “
The Marine Corps League and the Foreign War Veterans Honor Squad staged a 21-gun salute. The Flagline Brothers Band also participated in the ceremony.
Wirges said: “This closure is a closure for all of us. yes, well, I hope they probably won’t be forgotten and never will be. “
It capped off a week of military honors in central Oregon that began with the National Medal of Honor Day birthday party and included Thursday’s public memorial service and military funeral for Pearl Harbor survivor Richard “Dick” Higgins.
In the run-up to Memorial Day in May, Section 820 plans to place flags at all veterans’ graves and cemeteries in Bend. This Greenwood Cemetery and Pilot Butte.
For more information on National Vietnam Veterans Day, visit the VA page here.
Matthew Draxton is a multimedia reporter for NewsChannel 21. Learn more about Matthew here.
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