Vietnam Wall replica at Gilbert, Arizona

Gilbert’s Vietnam Wall replica finds support from Vietnamese community

Jonathan Reid, The Republic | azcentral.com 10:10 a.m. MST October 1, 2014

Sang Nguyen

Sang Nguyen, a South Vietnamese veteran, speaks of his time fighting “side by side” with American soldiers at unveiling of the Vietnam Wall replica.(Photo: Jonathan Reid/The Republic)

For Sang Nguyen, a South Vietnamese soldier who fought alongside Americans in the Vietnam War, Gilbert’s proposed “Wall” replica is a chance for him to honor those who fought and died trying to win his people’s freedom.

“We sometimes fought side by side for our lives,” Nguyen recalled in a statement at the unveiling of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial replica on Tuesday. “We hugged, jumped for joy when we defeated Viet Cong and cried sorrowfully when we lost a comrade.”

RELATED: Gilbert council considers Vietnam Wall replica

After the war’s dramatic conclusion with the fall of Saigon in 1975, Nguyen was sent to a labor camp for 51/2 years. The American government was successful in getting the Vietnam government to allow Nguyen and others in labor camps to seek refuge in the United States.

“Americans were open-armed to accept, resettle and support us when we first came to your country, and now our country,” Nguyen said. “I do not have enough words to thank you.”

He shared his story with about 100 people gathered outside the Gilbert Town Council chambers for the project’s unveiling. Operation Welcome Home, the group leading the effort to bring a permanent Wall replica to Gilbert, is raising funds and talking with the council about locating the project on town land. Some council members raised concerns about the $160,000 to $180,000 annual cost to maintain and operate the memorial. It’s unclear who would cover that.

Once organizers finish the final design for the replica, they will pitch it to the Town Council for a vote. This is expected to happen by January at the latest.

Nguyen is a member of the Vietnamese Community of Arizona, which in July reached out to Operation Welcome Home after reading about the project in The Arizona Republic.

Gilbert Councilwoman Jenn Daniels, a proponent of the project and member of Operation Welcome Home, recalled when the two groups first met.

“When they heard about the project all they wanted to know about is ‘how can we help?'” Daniels said.

The legacy of the Vietnam War has shaped the identity of South Vietnamese Americans.

While many Americans view the war as unnecessary and a failure, South Vietnamese Americans at the event were eager to show that the sacrifice was not in vain.

Kevin Dang, president of the Vietnamese Community of Arizona, escaped communist-controlled Vietnam in 1989. At the unveiling, Dang recounted his family’s struggle and expressed his admiration for American veterans and the South Vietnamese people.

Kevin Dang

Kevin Dang, president of the Vietnamese Community of Arizona, expresses his support and gritiude for the proposed Gilbert Veterans Memorial Wall replica on Tuesday, Sept. 30.(Photo: Jonathan Reid/The Republic)

“We, the younger generation, are forever indebted to our parents for their sacrifice and resilience in search of a better life for us in America,” Dang said.

The number of civilian casualties of the Vietnam War remains a subject of debate, but media reports have provided estimates around 2 million, including U.S. intervention in Cambodia and Laos.

American veterans in return expressed gratitude for the South Vietnamese involvement in the project, with veteran Roger Pollard presenting a ceremonial South Vietnamese flag. He said it was to honor the South Vietnamese and American soldiers who served and sacrificed during the war.

The Wall memorial would feature the names of the 58,300 American soldiers who died in Vietnam. It would be 80 percent the size of the original, 8 feet at its tallest and 360 feet long. If built, the Town Council decided it would be located outside the Fire and Police Administration buildings, across the street from Gilbert’s 9/11 Memorial. It would be the only permanent Wall replica in the western United States.

Among the project’s supporters is Cory Remsburg, the Afghanistan and Iraq veteran who was honored by President Barack Obama at the 2014 State of the Union.

Remsburg was not at the unveiling but wrote in a statement that he is “grateful for the opportunity to pay tribute to those men and women who paid the ultimate price in an unpopular war.”

Operation Welcome Home is in the process of designing the replica, which is estimated to cost more than $5 million. Lisa Rigler, who is leading the effort, hopes donations will help cover the cost. The group is accepting donations at azwallproject.com.

Those looking to donate can also mail a check to the AZ Wall Project at 1760 E. Pecos Road, Suite 344, Gilbert, AZ 85295.

 

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