thedrifter
08-22-08, 06:15 AM
Web Posted: 08/22/2008 12:00 CDT
Mists of vets' memories obscure flaws in plaza honoring them
Ken Rodriguez - Ken Rodriguez
“In memory of those men and women who served our country during one of its most trying times” — inscription on Vietnam Memorial sculpture
Bill Hesse bowed his head at the base of the military monument, the sky as solemn and gray as a funeral.
After a silent prayer, the Marine veteran opened his eyes, the memories pulling him back to February 1968. Enemy fire. An exploding rocket. Shrapnel cutting through his feet, legs, back and head.
He blinked and remembered more. A bloody battle outside Hue in South Vietnam. Dying comrades. Wounded friends.
His eyes began to water.
Hesse came to the memorial Thursday morning to reflect with brothers from the 1st Battalion 9th Marines.
“We were the highest decorated unit in the Vietnam War,” said Hesse, 61, the group's national president. “We had the highest casualty rate, too. Everybody here has got a Purple Heart or more.”
The bond between these men runs deep. Many were together when they were shot. Some could look others in the eye and say, “You saved my life.”
Voices were soft here at Veterans Memorial Plaza, almost whisperlike, as a wreath was placed in front of a large sculpture that tugged at hearts: a radioman keeling beside a wounded Marine.
I didn't know there would be a reunion of the 1st Battalion, most from out of town. I came to examine broken tiles and cracked cement at a plaza riven in controversy.
The mayor wants to create a Medal of Honor Memorial. An artist has proposed a 7-foot red granite wall with gold stars and sparkling, interior lights.
Some veterans consider it an appropriate way to honor recipients of the nation's highest award for valor. Twenty-three with ties to the city have been identified.
Other veterans consider the wall too big and obtrusive. They say it would divide the plaza, attract the homeless, create security issues and inconvenience pedestrian traffic.
John Baines argues most forcefully against the memorial. A member of the steering committee that oversees the project, he calls the wall “overpowering.”
Baines' voice is worth hearing. He is a passionate Vietnam veteran, a man who led the fundraising when the plaza was built in the 1980s. He's justifiably upset the city has allowed the plaza to fall into disrepair.
Why build a gleaming memorial and let the rest of the plaza rot? Phil Hardberger says that won't happen. He wants the landscaping upgraded, all broken tiles fixed.
Perhaps no mayor in city history has been a bigger military advocate than Hardberger, a former Air Force pilot. He attends almost every funeral of local service members. He arranged for flags on city property to be flown at half-staff for fallen GIs. Now he wants a monument — financed with private money — for Medal of Honor recipients.
Hardberger understands the objections. He also understands the power of monuments. The mayor remembers multiple visits to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C.
“I would not describe it as beautiful,” he said. “It's a black wall with many, many thousands of names of people who did not come home. That's why veterans drop down and cry.”
Across from the Municipal Auditorium, some Marine veterans gazed upon the Vietnam Memorial through tears. I asked Hesse what he thought of the plaza. “It's gorgeous,” he said.
As for the parts marred with tar stains, cigarette butts and broken tiles, the brotherhood didn't seem to notice.
Call Ken Rodriguez at (210) 250-3369 or e-mail krodriguez@express-news.net.
Ellie
Mists of vets' memories obscure flaws in plaza honoring them
Ken Rodriguez - Ken Rodriguez
“In memory of those men and women who served our country during one of its most trying times” — inscription on Vietnam Memorial sculpture
Bill Hesse bowed his head at the base of the military monument, the sky as solemn and gray as a funeral.
After a silent prayer, the Marine veteran opened his eyes, the memories pulling him back to February 1968. Enemy fire. An exploding rocket. Shrapnel cutting through his feet, legs, back and head.
He blinked and remembered more. A bloody battle outside Hue in South Vietnam. Dying comrades. Wounded friends.
His eyes began to water.
Hesse came to the memorial Thursday morning to reflect with brothers from the 1st Battalion 9th Marines.
“We were the highest decorated unit in the Vietnam War,” said Hesse, 61, the group's national president. “We had the highest casualty rate, too. Everybody here has got a Purple Heart or more.”
The bond between these men runs deep. Many were together when they were shot. Some could look others in the eye and say, “You saved my life.”
Voices were soft here at Veterans Memorial Plaza, almost whisperlike, as a wreath was placed in front of a large sculpture that tugged at hearts: a radioman keeling beside a wounded Marine.
I didn't know there would be a reunion of the 1st Battalion, most from out of town. I came to examine broken tiles and cracked cement at a plaza riven in controversy.
The mayor wants to create a Medal of Honor Memorial. An artist has proposed a 7-foot red granite wall with gold stars and sparkling, interior lights.
Some veterans consider it an appropriate way to honor recipients of the nation's highest award for valor. Twenty-three with ties to the city have been identified.
Other veterans consider the wall too big and obtrusive. They say it would divide the plaza, attract the homeless, create security issues and inconvenience pedestrian traffic.
John Baines argues most forcefully against the memorial. A member of the steering committee that oversees the project, he calls the wall “overpowering.”
Baines' voice is worth hearing. He is a passionate Vietnam veteran, a man who led the fundraising when the plaza was built in the 1980s. He's justifiably upset the city has allowed the plaza to fall into disrepair.
Why build a gleaming memorial and let the rest of the plaza rot? Phil Hardberger says that won't happen. He wants the landscaping upgraded, all broken tiles fixed.
Perhaps no mayor in city history has been a bigger military advocate than Hardberger, a former Air Force pilot. He attends almost every funeral of local service members. He arranged for flags on city property to be flown at half-staff for fallen GIs. Now he wants a monument — financed with private money — for Medal of Honor recipients.
Hardberger understands the objections. He also understands the power of monuments. The mayor remembers multiple visits to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C.
“I would not describe it as beautiful,” he said. “It's a black wall with many, many thousands of names of people who did not come home. That's why veterans drop down and cry.”
Across from the Municipal Auditorium, some Marine veterans gazed upon the Vietnam Memorial through tears. I asked Hesse what he thought of the plaza. “It's gorgeous,” he said.
As for the parts marred with tar stains, cigarette butts and broken tiles, the brotherhood didn't seem to notice.
Call Ken Rodriguez at (210) 250-3369 or e-mail krodriguez@express-news.net.
Ellie