From Concept to Reality

This stunning granite monument features a tablet with etchings and inscriptions representing information about the Vietnam War, those who served, those who
died in Vietnam and those who returned home after their tour of service.

The predominant graphic feature of the monument is an etching of a photograph of the Vietnam Memorial Wall in Washington DC, complimented with a photographs of the Three Soldiers, The Vietnam Women’s Memorial, and the Capitol Dome. The three soldiers are over laid on the Wall with the Dome placed in the background. The three photos used for the feature were provided to us by Charles Isenhour.

The Vietnam Three Soldiers bronze statues by Frederick Hart overlooks the Wall in DC. In order to portray the major ethnic groups that were represented in the ranks of U.S. combat personnel that served in Vietnam, the statues three men are purposely identifiable as European American (center), African American (right), and Latino American (left). There is about them the physical contact and sense of unity that bespeaks the bonds of love and sacrifice that is the nature of men at war. And yet they are each alone. Their strength and their vulnerability are both evident. Their true heroism lies in these bonds of loyalty in the face of their awareness and their Vulnerability.

The center of the panel notes the Vietnam War, 1961-1975 at the top and remembers those who served, their sacrifices and losses from the war. It outlines the total number of service personnel who died in Vietnam as well as Florida’s losses. A Vietnam Campaign Medal is displayed along with a Vietnam Map. The silhouette map of Vietnam provides a useful reminder to veterans and their families about where they courageously served.

DEDICATED TO THOSE WHO SERVED
ALL GAVE SOME, SOME GAVE ALL
MORE THAN 58,000 AMERICANS DIED,
INCLUDING NEARLY 2,000 FROM FLORIDA

The words “To All the Vietnam Veterans / Thank You and Welcome Home” are inscribed on the bottom of the center section’s inscription on the panel. The significance of this greeting encourages Americans to thank a Vietnam Veteran, shake their hand, and tell them, “Welcome Home.” Each of these veterans sacrificed something in the jungles many decades, ago. And many continued to sacrifice upon returning home.

The etching on the left side of the panel is from a photograph of the Vietnam Women’s Memorial in DC, and portrays three women caring for a fallen soldier. During the Vietnam War, women served in many different roles. Many women served as nurses and physicians while others acted as air traffic controllers, communication specialists, and intelligence officers. The Vietnam Women’s Memorial was established to honor the women who risked their lives to serve their country. Eight of those women died in Vietnam are among the list of over 58,000 names on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall.

The upper left corner of the panel includes the inscription:
IN MEMORY
OF THE MEN AND WOMEN
WHO DIED FAR FROM HOME
DURING THE WAR OR LATER
SUCCUMBED TO WOUNDS,
SEEN AND UNSEEN.

On the far left is the image of the US Capitol Dome. The designer/photographer has intentionally inserted it in that position at the end of the wall to evoke maximum emotion while emphasizing the fact that it was the commitment to service to our country that the more than 58,000 gave their lives.