Texas VIII

I read a number of stories about a new memorial being built on the grounds of the Texas State Capitol in Austin. So, it was with great anticipation that I finally got there a few months after it was to have been started. I was disappointed to find not so much as a hole in the ground when I visited. An employee at the Capitol explained that there had been some difficulties and that as recently as the day before I was there a meeting had been held to iron these out and to get the project rolling.

That very night I was reading a local publication and discovered that a mock-up of the memorial was on display at the LBJ Library. I went there the next day and these pictures are from that visit.

Originally, an additional soldier was to have been included in this memorial. He was to have been a Vietnamese soldier, but in the end it was decided to omit him.

The destruction and devastation of a country and culture are depicted in some of the detail from this sculpture. There are scenes of river patrols, choppers in flight, and other typical in-country activity around the base.

Detail of one of the five soldiers

Even though the RVN soldier was omitted, the Vietnamese dragon highlights one of the depictions on the base.

Tonight, I checked again and discovered that the new memorial is to be dedicated on March 29th, 2014, so this posting is particularly timely.

In the next posting, on March 26th, I'll feature a real surprise that I found at the LBJ Library. Check it out at 9:00am, as always.

To see the other postings from Texas, or any other state, click the state name on the left side of this page,