Vietnam Memorial Dedication in Canby

It is the soldier, not the reporter, who has given us freedom of the press.

It is the soldier, not the poet, who has given us freedom of speech.

It is the soldier, not the campus organizer, who has given us the freedom to demonstrate.

It is the soldier, not the lawyer, who has given us the right to a fair trial.
It is the soldier, who salutes the flag, who serves under the flag, and whose coffin is draped by the flag,
who allows the protester to burn the flag.
To all the brave men and women who have dedicated or given their lives
to protecting this country and it's freedoms:
Thank you.

On Saturday, it was our honor to be present at the dedication ceremony for the Vietnam Era Veterans Memorial. The community of Canby (where we use to live) has been working on raising funds for this memorial for 11 years!! What dedication to such an amazing and very necessary cause. We had purchased a brick in my Dad's honor about 3 or 4 years ago to help support the fund raising. It was just amazing and breath taking to see it all finally come together. The bronze statue was the last step to completing the beautiful memorial. The statue itself was $90,000. The statue has been named "A Hero's Prayer", depicting a wounded soldier carried by another soldier with a Vietnamese girl holding the wounded soldier's hand. It brought tears to my eyes and chills to my skin standing in front of it...just trying to take it all in.

Also at the memorial is Bell UH-1 "Huey" helicopter and a landing pad with a Red Cross Symbol.
Aloft on its pedestal, it is the most recognized helicopter type in the world. Thousands of lives were literally saved because of the dependability of the Huey and bravery of her crews. It stands as a humanitarian symbol that brought compassion and lifesaving during this time in our history.
The plaza is in the shape of an Asian character meaning "long life".

Across from the helicopter is a temple bell inscribed with "believe in peace" in Vietnamese.
The memorial also has a Blue Star memorial Marker, first erected in 1944 by the National Council of State Garden Clubs to honor those who served in the armed forces.

The ceremony was conducted by the Oregon National Guard with a jet and helicopter flyover, a 21 gun salute, music and speeches. Below is a Brigadier General.

This is my Dad's brick

Jim's special brick (Momma B's husband)
The wounded soldier in the bronze statue represents Jim's childhood friend, Warren E. Newton.
The artist used a photo of Warren that Jim gave him to do the soldier's face. Jim showed me a picture of Warren in a helicopter. The photo was taken just 3 hours before the helicopter went down and Warren did not survive.

The kids kneeling down by Grandpa Tex's special brick

There were a lot of people there. Definitely a lot of veterans there from all walks of life. I was looking/reading all their shirts, vests, patches, etc. It was very moving to see them there and know that I was standing next to TRUE American Hero's. I was wishing that my Dad was there to see it with us.

After the ceremony, families were welcome to explore military vehicles and talk with soldiers. It was a very moving ceremony! You could feel everyone contemplating it all and remembering those who have served and the many, many sacrifices that were made.

Truly an amazing memorial, made possible by many amazing people. We were truly humbled and honored to be a part of it. I want my kids to know how very blessed we all are to live how we do. I want them to know that it is all because of our SOLDIERS. It doesn't matter if you believe in War or No War...we all still owe them a heartfelt Thank You in the least!!!! Wars have taken place in the past and are CURRENTLY happening, so REMEMBER...there are SOLDIERS (past and present) that are risking their LIVES everyday to protect us all and keep us safe. May God Bless them All.
If you would like to support this memorial please visit- http://www.vietnameramemorial.org/
If you would like more info on supporting our troops please visit- http://thankasoldier.net/index.html
The "Thanks a Soldier" website is amazing...it will bring tears to your eyes.