Southern California's Vietnam War Memorial Gives Recognition to South Vietnamese

The Associated Press ^ | Published: Sep 22, 2002 | KATE BERRY

[TheOtherOne]

Southern California's Vietnam War Memorial Gives Recognition to South Vietnamese
The Associated Press
Published: Sep 22, 2002

LAGUNA BEACH, Calif. (AP) - After six years of political bickering and fund-raising, a 12-foot bronze sculpture depicting two soldiers - an American and a South Vietnamese - was unveiled in honor of those who died in the Vietnam War.

"My image for this sculpture is so anyone can think, 'This is my son, or it could be my neighbor or brother who fought in the war,'" Tuan Nguyen, the sculptor who escaped Vietnam by walking through Cambodian jungles, said Saturday.

With the sun setting over the Pacific, Vietnamese-Americans began singing the Vietnamese national anthem. About 250 people, some of them beachgoers wearing bathing suits and T-shirts, stood quietly during a minute of silence. Four Vietnam veterans touched the statue and cried.

The bronze will be installed Monday in a 1.4-acre park in Westminster, the largest Vietnamese community outside of Vietnam. It is planned to be a centerpiece of a plaza with a fountain, an eternal flame and computer kiosks where visitors can look up the names of both Vietnamese and American casualties.

The park is expected to be completed by December, said Frank Fry, a former mayor and Westminster city councilman.

"When our kids came back from Vietnam they were spit on and had their soldiers' uniforms torn off," said Fry, who came up with the idea of a Vietnam memorial on the West Coast. "I thought, why not have a statue commemorating the soldiers on both sides who fought for freedom?"

The memorial was privately funded, mostly by small donations from the local Vietnamese community. But the project drew criticism for running nearly three times over its original budget of $500,000.

Still, those who saw the giant bronze for the first time marveled at its accurate depiction that conjured memories of their homeland.

"I remember seeing the soldiers in the rice field or in the rubber plantation and knowing that they were there to protect us," said Hue Pham, dean of counseling at Orange Coast College and a frequent host on Vietnamese radio.

"It's awesome," said Janet Franks, 78, of San Juan Capistrano, whose son, Barry R. Franks, died outside Danang in South Vietnam in 1969. "Anything we can do to honor those boys is honoring my son and everyone who died in the war."

AP-ES-09-22-02 0244EDT

[leadpenny]

Bumping in the hope that someone will have a photo.

[TheOtherOne]

Sun Sep 22,12:41 AM ET

Vietnamese-American sculptor Tuan stands in front of a bronze monument Saturday, Sept. 21, 2002, in Laguna Beach, Calif., that he created to celebrate the friendship and alliance between Vietnamese and Americans during the Vietnam war. The statue will be relocated to its final destination at Civic Center Park in Westminster, Calif. (AP Photo/John Hayes)

[leadpenny]

Thank you.

[Mr. Bird]

I like it. Especially considering how many SoCal citizens are Vietnamese of that era.

[TheOtherOne]

"The bronze will be installed Monday in a 1.4-acre park in Westminster, the largest Vietnamese community outside of Vietnam. . . . . . The memorial was privately funded, mostly by small donations from the local Vietnamese community. . . . . "

I like it too. It was privately funded by the local Vietnamese community to show their thanks to Americans and show pride in their soldiers as well. A fitting memorial and nice to see here on the West coast. And obviously well deserved thanks to those Vets who served our country.

[gcruse]

Good on them.