Texas XVII

 Mineral Wells, Texas is the home of the National Vietnam War Museum, although several places and museums claim that distinction. How a museum is designated "The National.." is beyond my pay grade, I'll leave that for others to sort out.

What I can say is that this place, along Highway 180, west of Fort Worth is quite amazing.

While it contains many interesting components, artifacts, gardens, equipment, and walls, today I will concentrate on one of the first "Walls" placed.

It is a replica of the Camp Holloway Memorial Wall which was constructed in Pleiku after the death of CWO Charles Holloway, the first American killed at the camp. He died in December of 1962.

 

By 1965 several more Americans were lost and a wall was built to honor and remember them. It was dedicated in February of 1966 by General William Westmoreland.

 

It is said to have been the only memorial built to US Servicemen in Vietnam.

If you have followed this site for any length of time, you are aware of the ongoing conversation about which Vietnam memorial was the first.

 

Over the years I have seen many and have tried to answer that question and as of today, the Charlottesville, Virginia Vietnam memorial is the oldest I have found. It was dedicate in April of 1966.

It remains the oldest that I know about stateside, but The Camp Holloway Memorial Wall predates Charlottesville by a couple of months. The Wall in Pleiku is long gone but lives on in Mineral Wells. Interesting.

Charles Holloway is among the 254 Americans honored, the two below are from my state, Maryland.

 

Mineral Wells is about 45 miles west of Fort Worth on Route 180. It has grown greatly since I visited and now has many more things to see including a museum. When I was there the museum was simply a trailer that was locked with no one around. Their efforts are impressive and I hope to revisit sometime in the near future. In the meantime, I will post more about this interesting site in the future. 

Next time, on the 29th, we will come back east to visit Virginia. Join me there at 9:00am.

To see additional memorials from Texas, or any other state, please click on the state name on the left side of this page.