Our Harley Days: Road Trip #2 (Day 4) Vietnam Veterans Memorial

Monday, June 18, 2012

Road Trip #2 (Day 4) Vietnam Veterans Memorial

June 18, 2012
Colorado, USA

Another restful night at the Laguna Vista Lodge followed by another leisurely breakfast at the Double D Cafe had us ready to roll about mid-morning.

Part of the reason for a trip to this part of New Mexico was to visit the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial near Angel Fire, NM. We made a brief stop the first day of the trip just before a thunderstorm took over the area. The memorial is about ten miles from Eagle Nest, NM. The last time we visited the Memorial (in the late 1970s or maybe it was in the early 1980s) it was a stark but simple chapel situated on the side of a windy hill in the middle of nowhere. I remember a chill wind blew off of the mountains that day. The wind always blows in this area. At that time, the memorial chapel still held the personal effects of the soldier for whom it was built and there were many mementos placed by passing strangers in the chapel.

U.S. Marine Corps First Lieutenant Victor David Westphall III

Following the death of their son, U.S. Marine Corps First Lieutenant Victor David Westphall III, Jeanne and Dr. Victor Westphall (a World War II Veteran) began construction of the Vietnam Veterans Peace and Brotherhood Chapel to honor the memory of their son and the fifteen men that died with him near Con Thien, South Vietnam on May 22, 1968.

The chapel was dedicated May 22, 1971. The Disabled American Veterans took possession of the Memorial in 1982 and began construction on the Visitor's Center in 1985. In 1998 ownership reverted to the David Westpfall Veterans Foundation and in 2004 the State of New Mexico took over the Memorial and named it the Vietnam Veterans Memorial State Park. It is the only state park in New Mexico that does not charge an entry fee (a condition of the transfer) and it is open 24 hours a day (another condition).

This memorial is among many stops for the riders who make The Run For the Wall.

The grounds now include not only the stunningly designed chapel (which rotates the biographies of men and women who fell in the service of our country during the Vietnam War - always with Westphall in a prominent position) and includes seating for quiet contemplation, but a Visitor's Center/Gift Shop (built underground so as not to detract from the unique architectural design of the chapel), Memorial Garden, an amphitheater, the Veterans Memorial Walkway (a path of bricks dedicated to the service men and women of New Mexico), and the grave sites of the Westphalls. The Visitor Center is filled with displays, memorabilia, historical archive and many pieces of amazing artwork and sculpture. A small theater shows a movie entitled Dear America: Letters Home From Vietnam. Outside is a static display of a Huey helicopter from the Vietnam era donated to the memorial in 1999 by the New Mexico National Guard. This "bird" was known as the Viking Surprise. It is one of the first smokeships used in Vietnam. In the Memorial Garden is a moving bronze statue of a soldier by Doug Scott of Taos, entitled Dear Mom and Dad.

We were immediately greeted upon arrival by several Vietnam Veterans and their wives who treated us as if they had known us all our lives. We spoke with them at length. They all had a story to tell and we listened to each one with respect. One of the veterans (his name escapes me) had written a book and serves as a veteran's liaison to the state of New Mexico. Another veteran who upon learning that my Dad served in Vietnam and is a Patriot Guard Ride Captain said to thank him for his service in both regards and then hugged me saying thanks to me for being a child left behind survivor of that era.

We spent most of the morning, strolling the pathways, studying the helicopter and various displays inside the visitor center, stopping to take photos and read the placards. It is a remarkable and sobering experience.