Memorial completed as of 2001

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Long Beach Vietnam Veterans Memorial

First Phase Dedication
Veterans Day
November 11, 2000

Houghton Park
(Near Atlantic Avenue and Harding Street)
Long Beach, California 90805

We are making History ... and you can be a part of it!
Join with the Long Beach Vietnam Veterans Chapter 76, Friends of the Long Beach Vietnam Veterans Memorial, residents, community organizations and corporations to help build a distinctive and powerful memorial to commemorate the sacrifices of over one hundred Long Beach servicemen who died serving their county in Vietnam.

Military memorials serve not only to remind us of past sacrifices, they also inspire hope in our future. The Long Beach Vietnam Veterans Memorial will pay tribute to those were were called to war and did not return.

Designed by Christopher Umana, a Long Beach City College art student, the memorial will feature a U.S. Army helicopter, known by veterans as the Huey. The helicopter, donated by Al Gerbino (Owner/Director of The Dark Horse, a military aviation museum at the Long Beach Airport), has logged hundreds of combat hours in Vietnam.

A Memorial Honorees Family and Friends Search Team has been established to locate family members of the Long Beach heroes, to make them aware of the memorial and invite them to the dedication to honor their loved ones and to acknowledge their loss. If you know the whereabouts of a family member, please call the Family Search Team at (562) 497-0848.

A Speakers Team has been developed to take the Vietnam Veterans Memorial message to the community. To book a speaker for your organization call Speakers Team (562)421-4640.

The first phase of the Vietnam Veterans memorial will be dedicated on November 11, 2000, Veterans Day, in conjunction with the Veterans Day Parade in North Long Beach.

You can be a part of this historical event by donating to the 'Vietnam Veterans Memorial'. Make your tax-deductible contribution to Partners of Parks, and mail to 2760 N. Studebaker Road, Long Beach CA 90815-1697. For information call the AOWAC at (562) 421-4640.

Why a U.S. Army Helicopter "the Huey" was chosen for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial
For those who served in Vietnam, regardless of the branch of service, the Huey Helicopter was the mainstay of their existence. It brought their food, water, ammunition, medicine, changes of clothing and letters from home. it was their ticket to R&R and the lifesaver for the wounded in battle. It was their rescuer and their relief. For some the helicopter may be seen to be a war machine, but for those who served in Vietnam it was a MEDI-EVAC and a flying bus, a logistical necessity of war. And for the over 100 service men from Long beach, who died serving in Vietnam, it was the Huey that gave them their last ride that brought them home.

The emotional attachment to the Huey Helicopter by the Vietnam Veteran may only be understood by those who served. But the choice of this durable war-bird, as the centerpiece for the memorial, is a choice made by veterans who were there.

When completed, it will provide the opportunity for future generations to reflect on the men and women who served their country, especially the over one hundred Long Beach citizens who made the supreme sacrifice.

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