Groundbreaking set for Vietnam vets monument at Capitol

Mar 20, 2013

 by Ken Herman
[published in American-Statesman on March 19, 2013]

Another chance is coming up to continue to make amends for the lack of a fitting tribute back in the day for our troops who served in Vietnam, especially those who made the ultimate sacrifice in that misbegotten foreign-policy adventure.

Events are planned for Sunday and Monday in conjunction with the groundbreaking for the Texas Capitol Vietnam Veterans Monument. The ceremonies begin Sunday at the LBJ Presidential Library auditorium. Starting at 8:30 a.m. and continuing until 5:30 p.m., more than 110 volunteers will read the names of the 3,417 Texans who died in Vietnam.

The list of readers includes Lynda Johnson Robb, Luci Johnson, Texas House Speaker Joe Straus, Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson, my Statesman colleague Arnold Garcia, state lawmakers and family members of U.S. troops killed in Vietnam.

Also Sunday, there will be a display of the 3,417 handstamped dog tags produced by Vietnam vets Don Dorsey and James Hart and bearing the names of the Texans who died in that war. The dog tags, which will be entombed inside the monument, will be displayed in the LBJ Library’s Great Hall. There’s no charge for participating in the events. read more