From left to right: Robert Saucedo, Ia Drang Vet from Giddings, Texas; Joe R. Pena, Ia Drang Vet from Port Lavaca, Joe Galloway, author of We Were Soldiers Once and Young, formerly from Refugio, Texas, currently residing in Concord, North Carolina; Ed Times, Ia Drang Vet from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and another Vietnam Veteran at the March 29 unveiling and dedication.

Vietnam Veterans Monument Dedicated on Vietnam Veterans Day, the 41st anniversary of the day the last American combat troops left Vietnam. Joe and Rose Pena of Port Lavaca attend unveiling.

Clouds overshadowed the sun as gusts of wind greeted the gathering crowd on the grounds of the Texas State Capitol on March 29, 2014. Joe and Rose Pena from Port Lavaca were among the thousands gathered there to mark the historic event: the unveiling of the Vietnam Veterans Monument.

The idea for a monument honoring Vietnam Veterans from Texas began a decade ago and was introduced to the Texas Legislature by Senator Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa and State Representative Wayne Smith and approved by the 79th Legislature in 2005. The Texas Capitol Vietnam Veterans Monument Committee – Veterans who volunteered for the duty – raised the necessary funds and directed the building of the monument. It was funded fully through private donations, with more than 600 individual, organization and corporate donors.

A special part of the Vietnam Veterans Monument, known as “The 34117 Project” is to honor and remember each of the Texans who died in the Vietnam War, including the 105 Texans who remain Missing In Action. Each of them is individually recognized on two dog tags. One set of Texas Hero Tags is encased in a vintage ammunition can entombed inside the Texas Capitol Vietnam Veterans Monument. A duplicate set is displayed for the public in the Texas Vietnam Heroes Exhibit, which has toured the state accompanied by a volunteer motorcycle honor guard. Last year in March at a ceremony at the Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library in Austin, a Reading of the Names was conducted. More than one hundred volunteers, including Joe Pena, participated in the reading.

Following a welcome by Ms. Karoni Forrester, Representing Texas’ 3.417 Hero Families, presentation of the Colors, the Pledge of Allegiance, National Anthem, Invocation, and remarks, it was time for the Monument to be unveiled. Rose Pena described the scene: “The sun came out and shone on the Monument, leaving the spectators in the shade. The silence before the drapes dropped turned into gasps, applause, and sighs of emotion. Looking into the audience, one could see smiles, tears both from the veterans and family members. Truly March 29, 2014 was a day of honoring our Vietnam War Veterans, both the ones who paid the ultimate price, and the ones with invisible scars.”

Governor Rick Perry accepted the Monument on behalf of the people of Texas with these words: “The monument we dedicate today will stand as an ongoing demonstration of the depth of our appreciation for the sacrifices of our Vietnam veterans, and a reminder of what is noble and good about the human spirit. It will stand as a declaration in Texas, we understand how blessed we are to have warriors ready to step forward and draw a line between us and those who would do us harm.”

The governor also highlighted the contributions of the Vietnamese nationals who fought alongside Americans in the war, many of whom went on to pursue U.S. citizenship and settle in Texas.

The Texas Capitol Vietnam Veterans Monument rises 14 feet from the northeast Capitol grounds near the Peace Officers Memorial. Above a “sunset red” granite pediment matching the Capitol itself, a series of large bas-relief panels capture scenes depicting the men and women of Texas who served in the U.S. Armed Forces in Vietnam. Poised above the panels, five “Dawn Patrol” figures represent the service and sacrifice of Texas combat infantry troops, and benches emblazoned with the MIA/POW symbol remind us of Texans who were held prisoner or are unaccounted for in Vietnam.

The Texas Capitol Vietnam Veterans Monument honors all Texans who served in the U.S. military in Vietnam, including those who didn’t start in Texas but got here as fast as they could.

For an educational and inspirational tour of the Monument: tour.tcvvm.org