New Jersey Vietnam Veterans' Memorial facts for kids
Quick facts for kids New Jersey Vietnam Veterans' Memorial |
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| United States | |
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| For New Jersey veterans of the Vietnam War | |
| Established | 1995 |
| Location | 40.389222°N 74.175514°W 1 Memorial Lane, Holmdel, New Jersey
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The New Jersey Vietnam Veterans' Memorial is a special place in Holmdel Township, New Jersey. It honors people from New Jersey who served in the Vietnam War. This includes 1,562 brave men and one woman who either died or went missing during the war. The memorial was officially opened in 1995. You can find it near the PNC Bank Arts Center, right next to the Vietnam Era Museum and Educational Center.
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How the Memorial Was Created
On January 21, 1986, New Jersey's Governor, Thomas Kean, signed a law. This law set aside $25,000 to help design a memorial for Vietnam veterans. It also created a special committee. This committee's job was to pick a location for the memorial. They also had to raise money to build it and choose the best design.
Choosing the Location and Design
The committee chose the Holmdel site in 1986. It was officially dedicated in 1987. From 1987 to 1988, a design contest was held. More than 400 different ideas were sent in! The winning design came from Hien Nguyen. He is a Vietnamese-American architect who came to the U.S. in 1975.
Building the Memorial
Governor Kean held a groundbreaking ceremony on May 7, 1989. This marked the start of construction. In May 1991, three statues for the memorial were shown in Trenton. These statues were made by Thomas Jay Warren. Building the memorial officially began on November 19, 1991. The memorial was dedicated, or officially opened, on May 7, 1995. This date was chosen because it was 20 years after the Vietnam War ended.
What Does the Memorial Look Like?
The memorial is an open, round area called a pavilion. It is about 200 feet (61 meters) across. All around the outside, there are 366 tall black granite panels. Each panel is about 8 feet (2.4 meters) high. Each panel stands for one day of the year. The names of those who died are listed on the panel for the day they were killed.
Special Features of the Memorial
In the very middle of the round pavilion is a red oak tree. This tree is special because it's the state tree of New Jersey. The tree gives shade to three statues. One statue shows a soldier who is hurt. Another shows a nurse helping him. The third statue shows a soldier standing nearby. These statues represent different groups. The hurt soldier stands for those who died. The nurse represents the women who served in the war. The standing soldier represents those who came home safely. The statues also show different backgrounds: the fallen soldier is white, the standing soldier is African American, and the nurse is Latino.
The stone panels are about 12 feet (3.7 meters) higher than the inner courtyard. There are ten stairways and two ramps leading up to them. The designer made sure the ramps for people with disabilities were not separate. These ramps twist around like a double helix, going up to the top in half a circle. The two entrances to the memorial are like tunnels. They are meant to remind us of the long journey soldiers took to Vietnam. The memorial is also built so that the May Seventh panel, which marks the end of the war, points towards Vietnam.
The Museum and Educational Center
Right next to the memorial is the Vietnam Era Museum and Educational Center. An official there once shared an interesting story. They asked the designer of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. what she would change if she could redesign her memorial. She said that without a place to learn about the war and the difficult times back then, a memorial might not mean much to visitors. This idea led to the creation of this museum. In 2010, its name was changed from "Vietnam Era Educational Center" to "Vietnam Era Museum & Educational Center."
Learning About the Vietnam War
The Vietnam Era Museum and Educational Center officially opened in September 1998. This building is about 5,000 square feet (465 square meters) in size. It cost $3.5 million to build. The goal was to show a fair and balanced view of the Vietnam War, which was a very debated topic. When it first opened, it was the only museum of its kind in the United States.
