At our August 25 meeting we heard from John Butler, Board Chair for the Atlanta Vietnam Veterans Business Association, about plans to install a beautiful monument in Dunwoody’s Brook Run Park to honor both American and Vietnamese soldiers who fought and died in the Vietnam War. This story includes images of the planned monument and information about it.

The RCD Board approved to commit the Charitable Fund to match donations of Club members up to $2,500 so we can meet or exceed the $5,000 level to have the Club’s name and Rotary logo engraved on the monument.

If you’d like to participate, please make your tax deductible contribution to “Dunwoody Rotary Charitable Fund” and put “Vietnam War Memorial” on the memo line.  Then give or mail your check to RCD Treasurer Carter Stout as soon as possible.

Dunwoody’s Mayor and City Council will join the Vietnamese American Community of Georgia (VAC-GA) and the Atlanta Vietnam Veterans Business Association (AVVBA) for the groundbreaking for a monument to honor American and Vietnamese soldiers who lost their lives in the Vietnam War. Located near the existing Veterans monument in Brook Run Park, the American/Vietnamese monument will be the only such memorial east of the Mississippi. The groundbreaking ceremony took place at 4 p.m. Tuesday, September 12.

Construction of the monument is the result of efforts by the leadership of the VAC-GA, in partnership with the AVVBA. The monument will be funded entirely through private donations. This will be only the seventh Vietnam War Memorial in the U.S. to feature an American Infantry soldier and a soldier from the former republic of South Vietnam standing side by side. The life-sized statues, cast in bronze, will be the focus of a central plaza and surrounded by marble benches.

“This is a way to recognize the collective sacrifice of soldiers who lost their lives for the sake of freedom,” said John Butler, project director for the AVVBA. “There’s no place I’d rather have this than in Dunwoody.”

The memorial will be located on a corner about 100 feet from the DeKalb Veterans Memorial at Brook Run Park, which will undergo renovations this year to create a more engaging and approachable experience. The two memorials will be connected by a sidewalk. “This is especially important for the younger generations,” added TraMy Nguyen, project director for VAC-GA. “We want to make sure the sacrifice of soldiers and their families is never forgotten.”

A total of more than 300,000 Vietnamese, and 58,000 American soldiers lost their lives in the Vietnam War. It is hoped that this monument will serve as a lasting reminder of those men and women from two very different lifestyles and cultures who made the ultimate sacrifice in the name of freedom.

“This fits hand-in-glove with everything we’re doing with our own Veterans Memorial,” said Dunwoody Parks and Recreation Director Brent Walker. “We’ve been working with both groups on a concept, and we’re honored they chose Dunwoody.”