The 2021 legislative session started with the hope that the state legislature would honor our Vietnam Veterans by passing a bill to establish a Vietnam War Memorial on the Oregon State Capitol Grounds. Senate Bill 319 was introduced by the Senate Committee on Veterans and Emergency Preparedness. This bill dedicates a portion of Capitol State Park to a Vietnam War Memorial to be funded and constructed by a qualified nonprofit corporation.
SB319 in its last paragraph declares an emergency. Its preamble states over 180,000 Oregonians served during the Vietnam War of which about 100,000 are alive today. The average age of these Oregon Veterans is 70 +. Oregon is losing up to eight Vietnam Veterans per day. This is based upon data from the United States Department of Veterans Affairs. SB319 states; “it is imperative to memorialize the service and sacrifice of all who served during the tumultuous decades of the Vietnam War”. This should be done before our Vietnam Veterans are gone.
The Senate passed SB319 with a 29 to 0 vote on March 18th. The bill was moved to the House and assigned to the House Committee on Veterans and Emergency Management with a subsequent referral to the House Committee on Rules. On May 18th, the House Veterans Committee passed the bill unanimously with a Do Pass recommendation. On June 16th, the House Rules Committee did the same. On Tuesday, June 22nd, the House of Representatives passed SB319 with a 58 to 0 vote. It now awaits the Governors’s signature.
In 2017 the Vietnam War Memorial Fund was founded as a 501(c)3 non-profit corporation with the sole mission of funding and constructing a Vietnam War Memorial on the Oregon State Capitol Grounds. For a year and a half, its Steering Committee met regularly and developed a design for the proposed memorial. The design was adopted on July 31, 2019.
During 2020, the design was reviewed and approved by the Oregon Capitol Planning Commission and the City of Salem Historic Landmarks Commission. The design was also approved by the Oregon Parks and Recreation Commission on February 25th. Subsequently, the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department and the Vietnam War Memorial Fund have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding that outlines each entity’s responsibilities going forward.
The approved design includes interpretive panels which will detail historic events and facts of the Vietnam War. This information will be developed later in the process by the Steering Committee which is outlined in the Memorandum of Understanding. The Steering Committee will consist of veterans, local and national historians, interpreters, local and state public officials, and people representing Oregon’s Vietnamese and Southeast Asian communities.
This project has met all local and state requirements with over a dozen public hearings or forums. As a result, the Oregon State Legislature voted to honor our Vietnam Veterans by passing SB319 and setting aside space for a Vietnam War Memorial on the Oregon State Capitol Grounds.
With the Governor’s signature on Senate Bill 319, the major permissions will be in place to construct a Vietnam War Memorial. While there are state and local requirements to be met, the greatest challenge remaining is raising the three million dollars needed to complete the project.
As we approach the 4th of July holiday, remember to honor all of our Veterans. Freedom is not free! In particular, you can honor our Vietnam Veterans with a contribution to the Vietnam War Memorial on the Oregon State Capitol Grounds Project.
About the author:
Steve Bates has resided in Boring for 44 years and is an Honorary Life Member of the Vietnam Veterans of America and is a Life Member of the Associates of Vietnam Veterans of America. He serves as Chair of the Committee on Memorials and Remembrance and President of the Vietnam War Memorial Fund.
He can be reached at: vietnamwarmem@aol.com
For information about the Vietnam War Memorial on the Oregon State Capitol Grounds, please go to: http://vietnamwarmemorialfund.
Donations can be made on line or mailed to: Vietnam War Memorial Fund PO Box 1448 Boring, Or. 97009
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