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Texas Capitol Vietnam Veterans Monument Dedication Set for March 29, 2014:

On May 24, 2013, John Miterko, TCVVM Treasurer sent our Chapter an email, informing us of the upcoming Texas Capitol Vietnam Veterans Monument (TCVVM) Dedication Ceremony, set for March 29, 2014. All Texas VVA Chapter members are encouraged to attend the dedication. This will be a "Once in a Lifetime" event! The information below was contained in John's email.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE MAY 23, 2013 - TEXAS CAPITOL VIETNAM VETERANS MONUMENT TO BE DEDICATED SATURDAY, MARCH 29, 2014, TEXAS VIETNAM VETERANS RECOGNITION DAY.

AUSTIN: Forty-one years after the last American combat troops left Vietnam, and nearly a decade after work began in Texas to recognize them with a monument, the Texas Capitol Vietnam Veterans Monument will be dedicated next spring to honor Texans who served in the U.S. Armed Forces during the Vietnam War. Dedication of the Texas Capitol Vietnam Veterans Monument will be held on the Texas Capitol grounds on Saturday, March 29, 2014.

"Thanks to the support of Texas lawmakers and to the generosity of people across this state, our Vietnam Veterans will finally be honored and welcomed home," said Robert Floyd, chairman of the Texas Capitol Vietnam Veterans Monument Committee. "We hope all Texas Vietnam veterans and their families will make plans to join us in Austin as we dedicate the monument together."

The Texas Capitol Vietnam Veterans Monument was approved by the Texas legislature in 2005 to honor Texans who served in the armed forces of this nation during the Vietnam War. State Senator Juan Hinojosa and State Representative Wayne Smith, both Vietnam War veterans, co-sponsored the legislation. More than 1,000 people attended the monument's groundbreaking ceremony at the site on the northeast site of the Capitol grounds in March of this year.

Artists at the Deep in the Heart Art Foundry in Bastrop are crafting the monument's finishing touches. Duke Sundt designed the bronze monument featuring five infantry figures surrounded by panels depicting all branches of Texan military service, which will rise nearly 14-feet at its highest point. The monument will be the first on the Capitol grounds to depict the ethnic diversity of Texas, and the first equipped with digital technology allowing visitors to use mobile devices to access information about the monument and the history it represents.

The Texas Capitol Vietnam Veterans Monument has also created the Texas Vietnam Heroes Exhibit of 3,417 hand-embossed dog tags honoring each Texan who died or went missing during the Vietnam War. The exhibit, currently displayed at the LBJ Library in Austin, will begin a tour of Texas in August. A duplicate set of the 3,417 Texas Hero Tags will be entombed in the monument.

The Texas Capitol Vietnam Veterans Monument Committee has raised $1.4 million of the $1.7 million goal to build the monument. Fundraising events to complete the task will be held throughout Texas before the dedication.

The last American combat troops left Vietnam on March 29, 1973 and the date has been nationally recognized as a day of honor for Vietnam veterans. The Texas legislature has officially marked the date as Texas Vietnam Veterans Recognition Day.

"We will be working hard to create a memorable dedication event for Texas Vietnam veterans," said Floyd. "I know that many of us are looking forward to March 29th when we can stand together at the monument with our grandchildren and tell them, 'Once America called us to war, now Texas welcomes us home.'"

TEXAS CAPITOL VIETNAM VETERANS MONUMENT FACTS:

• The Texas Capitol Vietnam Veterans Monument was approved in House Current Resolution 36 of the 79th Regular Legislature of Texas in 2005.
• The monument's mission is to create a permanent tribute to the Texans who served in this nation's Armed Forces during the Vietnam War, a perpetual honor of their commitment and valor, and an abiding reminder of the lessons they have to teach us.
• The Texas Capitol Vietnam Veterans Monument Committee consists of Texas Vietnam veterans who have volunteered to raise funds and build the monument.
• The Texas Capitol Vietnam Veterans Monument is an official partner in the United States of America Vietnam War Commemoration honoring the 50th anniversary of the war.
• The monument is currently in production at the Deep in the Heart Art Foundry in Bastrop, Texas.
• The monument artist is Duke Sundt. A complete description of the monument design can be found at: Monument design by Duke Sundt
• More than 500 Texas individuals, corporations, foundations and veteran organizations have contributed funds to build the monument and the Texas State Historical Commission has provided a $500,000 matching grant.
• The Texas Capitol Vietnam Veterans Monument will be the first on the Capitol grounds to represent the five major ethnicities of Texans. It will also be the first to incorporate mobile device access to a "living monument" app so visitors can learn more about the monument and the Texans who served in Vietnam.
• The Texas Capitol Vietnam Veterans Monument will pay special tribute to the 3,417 Texans who died in Vietnam. Each man will be remembered on a personalized dog tag, hand-stamped by Texas veterans, which will be entombed in the monument.
• The Texas Vietnam Heroes Exhibit provides a public display of duplicate 3,417 dog tags. The exhibit will travel the state after its opening exhibition at the LBJ Library in Austin.
• More than 200 volunteers participated in the Groundbreaking events by reading names and participating in the ceremonies.

For more information regarding the Texas Capitol Vietnam Veterans Monument, click on the link below.

Texas Capitol Vietnam Veterans Monument (to be located on the Capital grounds in Austin Texas)