The long-overdue Vietnam War Memorial was unveiled Friday on the grounds of the Oregon State Capitol with a centerpiece wall engraved with the names of 790 Oregonians who lost their lives in the war.
The names are listed under hometowns, from Albany to Yoncalla, in all capital letters.
Portland lost more service members than any Oregon city, its list of names consuming 2½ columns. Thirty-nine names are listed under Salem, including six marked with a diamond, meaning they are still considered missing in action because their remains have not been returned.
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“They are not just names on granite,” Steve Bates, a member of the Vietnam War Memorial Fund, told the crowd during a dedication ceremony. “These 790 names represent a person, a story, and a family. These names represent those who were a son, a dad, a brother, an uncle, a nephew.”
No female service members from Oregon are believed to have died in Vietnam.
The hourlong dedication ceremony included remarks from local veterans and state officials, including Gov. Tina Kotek, whose father was an Army veteran in the Korean War.
“We cannot forget the families of those veterans who didn’t make it home,” Kotek said. “And for those who did come home, I want you to know as your governor, I will have your back, and welcome home. We are here for you.”
Memorial provides reflective and healing space
The memorial, on the corner of Cottage and State streets, was built not just to honor the fallen but to provide a reflective and healing space for veterans, families and the public. More than 180,000 Oregonians served in Vietnam.
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The column wall forms an L-shape, like its World War II counterpart to the north. This wall, though, is not solid. The columns have six to 12 inches of space between each, representing the fractured public opinion Americans had about the war, the fractured support service members received upon returning, and their fractured emotions.
Kotek called the memorial a sacred place, thanking and congratulating all the volunteers behind the project.
“The persistence and the dedication of so many people to conceive of and build such a beautiful memorial for veterans who felt left behind, here on the grounds of the State Capitol, is a monumental accomplishment,” she said.
To many, the memorial was long overdue. Oregon has other Vietnam memorials, including one in Portland, but Washington and California erected Vietnam memorials at their state capitols in the 1980s.
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The vision for this one started more than seven years ago — 7 years, 3 months and seven days, to be exact, Bates told the crowd. The committee launched the effort to gain support with an email to several Oregon legislators in mid-2017.
The chosen site, about a half-acre, ended up with a larger footprint than the World War II Memorial because the natural setting with existing landscape was intentionally incorporated in the design by principal landscape architect Mike Abbaté. Only a few smaller trees were removed.
The wall columns, about 6 feet tall and 18 inches to 2 feet wide, were placed near the “embracing tree.” The Western red cedar has two low-lying branches spread like giant human arms, and a wooden viewing deck with benches was built around the tree.
Sculpture of soldier welcomes visitors to site
The memorial also includes a bronze sculpture near where visitors enter the park at the corner of Cottage and State.
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The sculpture, by Portland artist Libby Carruth, is titled “A Soldier’s Return.” The soldier depicted is life-size, carrying a rucksack, and standing solemnly before the American flag, and framed by a granite wall.
Carruth writes in a description posted on an information kiosk that the soldier’s expression conveys angst and determination, revealing the “invisible wounds” of war.
“From most angles, he remains obscured: a symbol of anonymity and the unseen struggles of veterans returning from war. Approaching the sculpture face-to-face invites a moment of deep reflection and empathy.”
Vietnam memorial includes a Phase 2
The estimated cost for the Vietnam War Memorial at the Capitol is $5.5 million, with more than $3.6 million budgeted for Phase 1, or the column wall construction phase.
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Phase 2 is planned, with no definitive timetable. Elements include more benches, a sculpture depicting a nurse attending to a wounded soldier, an MIA-POW station and a Gold Star Families memorial plaque.
Volunteers continue to raise money for the project. For more information, visit ocvvm.com.
Capi Lynn is a senior reporter for the Statesman Journal. Send comments, questions and tips to her at clynn@statesmanjournal.com, and follow her work on X @CapiLynn and Facebook @CapiLynnSJ.
This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Long-overdue Vietnam War Memorial dedicated at Oregon State Capitol
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