The Atlanta Vietnam Veterans Business Association and the Vietnamese American Community of Georgia will dedicate a new Vietnam War Memorial on Saturday, Oct. 5 at 11 a.m. in Brook Run Park.
The dedication ceremony was announced at the Sept. 24 Dunwoody City Council meeting by John Butler, the project director for the AVVBA.
“There is a deep desire among the Vietnamese American people and the American soldiers who fought in Vietnam to honor both the South Vietnamese soldiers and the American soldiers who sacrificed their lives fighting for freedom from Communism in Vietnam,” said John Butler, project director for the AVVBA. “We can’t wait to unveil and share this important and meaningful memorial.”
The VA-GA and the AVVBA are partners on this project. The monument, funded entirely through private donations, features life-sized bronze statues of two soldiers, one from the U.S. and one from Vietnam, located in the center of an oval plaza. Behind the statues are two large memorial walls honoring both Vietnamese and U.S. soldiers killed in Vietnam. The plaza is surrounded by black granite benches.
According to a statement released by the city, this is the only memorial like it in the U.S. It was created as a partnership between Vietnamese refugees and U.S. Veterans who fought in Vietnam. The project broke ground last September.
Two speakers will be featured at the ceremony: Lapthe Chau Flora, U.S. Army Major General (Ret), who escaped Communist Vietnam in 1980 as a child with his family in a boat. The other, Ron Helmly, Lieutenant. General US Army (Ret.), served two tours in Vietnam and later served as Commanding General of the U.S. Army Reserve Command.
Live music will be provided by the Golden Eagles Band from the Corps of Cadets at the University of North Georgia. A Huey helicopter that served in combat in Vietnam will be on display.
“Most of our members were born in South Vietnam and came to America after the fall of Saigon, risking their lives to escape to America,” TraMy Nguyen, project director for VAC-GA, said. “This memorial will serve as a reminder of the sacrifices of the past and the price of freedom.”
A total of more than 300,000 Vietnamese and 58,000 Americans died in Vietnam War. For more information or to donate, go to www.VNWarMemorial.org.
