Neglected Vietnam Veterans Memorial Finally Gets Attention

By WARREN KULO, The Mississippi Press

OCEAN SPRINGS, Miss. (AP) — On Memorial Day, a ceremony was held on the Mississippi Vietnam Veterans Memorial in honor of each the nationwide vacation and in commemoration of the twenty fifth anniversary of the memorial’s completion.

State and native dignitaries, together with numerous Vietnam veterans and native residents, attended, sitting contained in the hanging memorial which, in line with many, has the best aesthetic enchantment of any of the Vietnam memorials situated in every of the 50 states.

For a few years, nonetheless, the memorial was largely uncared for. With the committee charged with the memorial’s maintenance having dwindled down to only 3-to-4 overwhelmed members, the memorial sat soiled and unkempt, with repairs wanted in locations.

The way it arrived at that time requires a little bit of a historical past refresher.

Initially deliberate for a parcel of land in Biloxi, the memorial web site was moved to Ocean Springs after it was decided the memorial’s closing design wouldn’t match on the Biloxi property. In Might 1994, the memorial committee and Metropolis of Ocean Springs signed an settlement to construct the memorial on 4 acres on the civic middle grounds.

With native and personal donations supporting a $750,000 grant from the state, a ceremonial groundbreaking for the memorial happened on Might 29, 1995, with greater than 1,000 folks, together with then-Gov. Kirk Fordice, in attendance. The next 12 months, on Dec. 5, precise development started, and on Might 31, 1997, the Mississippi Vietnam Veterans Memorial was devoted and opened to the general public.

As soon as it opened and the preliminary pleasure over the memorial dissipated, donations started to dry up and the upkeep and maintenance of the memorial started to be problematic.

After donating the $775,000 for development (half of the $1.5 million initially dedicated) the State of Mississippi has barely lifted a figurative finger to assist the memorial.

“That’s completely appropriate,” mentioned a longtime memorial committee member, who requested to not be recognized. “They put up a couple of indicators out on the interstate to direct folks to the memorial. It took us seven years to get these put up. Then, after (Hurricane) Katrina took them down, it took one other 5 years to get them changed. So, yeah, the state hasn’t been actual cooperative.”

As well as, the committee member mentioned efforts to get native Veterans of Overseas Wars or American Legion chapters to help proved fruitless. “For no matter cause, they might not assist with the memorial committee. I don’t know why,” he mentioned.

Nor was any assist coming from the federal authorities, the identical federal authorities which despatched to Vietnam the 667 Mississippians whose images adorn the memorial’s partitions.

“I did have one (federal) elected official say he was going to get the committee some cash for the memorial,” the committee member mentioned. “I don’t know if he had a slush fund or one thing, but it surely by no means panned out. I don’t rely rather a lot on the federal folks.”

Now, nonetheless, with the unique committee primarily disbanded, reinforcements have come on board to provide the memorial the eye it wants.

Ocean Springs alderman Rob Blackman was contacted roughly two years in the past to go to the memorial web site and “see how uncared for the location had develop into,” Blackman mentioned. “I hate to make use of the phrase neglect, however that’s what it was.”

Blackman started to hunt out volunteers, enlisting the assistance of the town fireplace division and youthful veterans.

“Anyone who would assist, actually,” Blackman mentioned. “It took us a couple of 12 months, however we lastly received it again in respectable form. Now the town is taking the lead, as a result of it’s on our property. Our parks & recreation division has stepped as much as deal with groundskeeping and I’m going to ensure now we have cash budgeted for stress washing annually, so we don’t let it get within the situation it was in.”

However these preliminary efforts, whereas wanted, aren’t sufficient. The memorial nonetheless wants quite a few repairs. There are cracks within the inside flooring, discoloration in locations, and different harm. Blackman has turned to state officers within the hopes of acquiring the state’s monetary assist for the memorial for the primary time since that preliminary donation 25 years in the past.

Blackman mentioned he is spoken with state Reps. Kevin Felsher and Hank Zuber about discovering funding “to assist us sooner or later preserve the memorial on the best path.”

Maybe most necessary to the memorial’s future, nonetheless, is the participation of a youthful technology of veterans who’re passionate concerning the memorial.

“We had a gathering with an entire group of veterans who all wish to be concerned,” Blackman mentioned. “A youthful technology of veterans has stepped up and their assist shall be invaluable.”

The longtime committee member, himself a Vietnam veteran, agreed.

“It actually is,” he mentioned when requested if it was heartening to see new volunteers coming in. “It’s good to see different folks coming in and getting concerned — and different Vietnam veterans, as properly.

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