Each year, the Veterans Plaza of Northern Colorado holds their annual event during the Memorial Day weekend to honor a different group of veterans. This year, as done several times in the past, the Plaza brings in the traveling Vietnam Memorial Wall to honor our Vietnam veterans. The Wall is an 90% scale version of the Vietnam Memorial Wall on the Mall in Washington DC. The wall will arrive on Thursday May 22nd at 12:30 pm escorted by Police and Veterans motorcycles. The Wall will be assembled with the help of volunteers that afternoon and will remain open for viewing until late Monday, May 26th.
Vietnam Memorial Wall
Travelling Vietnam Wall at the Plaza
Starting at 7am on Friday, the reading of all 58,282 names on the Wall begins and continues through the weekend until all names have been read. The entire weekend centers around the main event on Sunday the 25th from 10am to 4pm with sign displays, booths of veteran oriented organizations, food vendors, a field of flags, Huey helicopter display and a 12-noon ceremony.
Retired Army Brig General Art Dillon Jr.
Retired Army General Art Dillon
Our keynote speaker at the Sunday ceremony will be retired Army Brigadier General Art Dillon. Art served in both the U. S. Army and the National Guard, starting as a private and eventually retiring as a Brigadier General. His service included a tour in Vietnam, where he was highly decorated, and a long tenure in the Wyoming National Guard. He also was involved with both Colorado State University and University of Northern Colorado.
Included in the Sunday ceremony will be a introduction of our local politicians and dignitaries, bag piper, color guard, raising of the American Flag, singing of our National Anthem, daily prayer, our keynote speaker, reading of the names of our local fallen Vietnam heroes and the adding of new soil samples from Vietnam to our victory garden.
The Veterans Plaza of Northern Colorado was established in 2011 to honor, support all past and present service personnel who have served our country and educate the younger generation of the sacrifices that our Veterans have made to secure our freedoms.
Plaza Features
Among the numerous features found in the beautiful three-acre plaza are the new flag display, new entrance sign, an amphitheater and stage, a back drop of our military branch logos etched in sandstone, two stunning statues entitled “On Strong Shoulders,” the founder’s dog named “Arthur,” a Victory Garden that holds soil samples of over 125 battle sites, cemeteries and bases from around the world, and two interactive computer monitors. One monitor scrolls the name of over 8,000 names of veterans (any veteran who has honorably served can be listed at no charge) and the other monitor lists the history of the Veterans Plaza. For more information on their many events, please visit their website at www.veteransplazanoco.org.