The Utah Vietnam Veterans Memorial sits peacefully on the State Capitol grounds. “This memorial is a tribute to all Utahns who unselfishly served the cause of freedom in Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos”. The massive circle of granite walls took over a year of planning. The granite load was two and one half semi-truck loads and weighed over 168,000 pounds.
Over 300 names were inscribed on black granite panels. Maps of each battle and hand-etchings of the Purple Heart, National Defense and The Vietnam Service Medals were also on black granite panels.
Moving quotes were inscribed under the medals:
“Woe to the statesman whose reasons for entering a war do not appear so plausible at its end as at its beginning”
“For those who fought for it, freedom has a flavor the protected will never know”
The ground-breaking took place in July, and the dedication for the completed project was October 14th of 1989.
Clyde Ross Morgan sculpted the bronze statue “…but not forgotten”