As I do every year, I’ll be going up to the Oregon Vietnam Memorial early in the morning before the official ceremony begins. Located in Washington Park between the Oregon Zoo and the Hoyt Arboretum, its a different kind of memorial.
Inspired by the dedication of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, DC, in 1982, a group Oregon Vietnam veterans conceived of the idea of a veterans memorial in Oregon. Through the efforts of many volunteers on behalf of the Vietnam Veterans of Oregon Memorial Fund, the memorial was dedicated in 1987. Designed by Walker Macy, a Portland landscape architecture firm, the curved black granite wall lists the names of all Oregon residents who died in Vietnam or who are missing in action. The wall also chronicles the years of the conflict and concurrent local events, providing a poignant contrast.
Its location in the arboretum provides a serene setting for reflection. The memorial also includes several symbolic components: a bosque of pear trees at the entrance symbolizes life and sacredness; water elements in the Garden of Solace signify life, purity, and hope.
I’ve always thought of Dire Straits’ song “Brothers in arm” as a fitting theme song for it, as many mornings it is covered in mist or fog when I go up there twice a year, Memorial Day and Veterans Day. I always go early to miss the crowds as most of the time there is too much of a military vibe during the official event.