Vietnamese-American group continues quest for monument
The Vietnam War was a conflict with heavy casualties for the U.S. military and its allies, but friendships forged between American soldiers and the people of South Vietnam have persisted.
April 30 marks 41 years since the fall of Saigon and the end of the war. Many South Vietnamese refugees fled their country and made America home, and Oklahoma has enjoyed cultural and economic influences from that influx.
Efforts are underway in Oklahoma City to remember and honor lives lost in the war and the bond formed between the South Vietnamese people and the United States.
“I think we need to have something to honor 2 million Vietnamese people (who) died for the freedom for the country and 58,000 U.S. troops and 987 Oklahomans, so I had an idea to build a monument,” said Vietnamese-American Community Chairman Vinh Nguyen.
A new life
For Nguyen, a lieutenant colonel in South Vietnam, the end of the war in 1975 was the start of a new life. He and his family fled Saigon in fear of persecution from the North and sailed in a small boat on the ocean for 36 hours before being rescued by the U.S. Navy.
Nguyen settled in Oklahoma, completed bachelor’s and master’s degrees and had a long career with the Internal Revenue Service.
In his work aiding fellow Vietnamese refugees, Nguyen became a fixture in his community and has served as chairman of the Vietnamese-American Community for a decade.
For the past seven years, Nguyen has been on a mission to plan and raise funds for the monument, to be placed at Military Park at NW 24 and Classen. The plan is for the monument to depict American and South Vietnamese soldiers united together in front of American, Oklahoma and South Vietnam flags.
“This heartfelt gesture will serve as a lasting testament to the shared history and friendships of the United States and South Vietnam,” said Maj. General Myles Deering, retired, now executive director of the Oklahoma Department of Veterans Affairs. “Our United States citizens from South Vietnam have well assimilated into our society and have become a testament to what freedom and democracy can be for those who strive to advance themselves from the rewards of its offerings. Once allies in war, we are now together citizens of this great country, sharing the goal of perpetual freedom for all.”
Nguyen has been working with the Oklahoma Veterans Council to gather support for the project.
“I think this is a very beneficial endeavor,” said Pete Peterson, chairman of the Veterans Council. “The beauty of it is Oklahoma is a very veteran-friendly state.”
In March, the Oklahoma City officially accepted the gift of the proposed monument, which is separate from, but coincides with, appropriation of general obligation bond money for improving the area surrounding the monument in Military Park, said Doug Kupper, director of Oklahoma City Parks and Recreation.
Fighting together
Nguyen’s story, like his success, is similar to that of many refugees who settled in Oklahoma City, said Robbie Kienzle, liaison for the city’s Office of Arts and Cultural Affairs.
“I think it’s always important for a city to celebrate its history and to understand things like we had this very large population of immigrants come here, and they’ve been highly instrumental in growing our city, and now this is a really important time to say, ‘You know, we didn’t win that war, but we fought long and hard, and we fought together,’ ” Kienzle said.
“They were all able to make new lives here, raise their children, start enterprises of some type or join with the forces that shape our community, and they want to celebrate with us through this monument.”
Kienzle cited the city’s One Percent for Art initiative as an aim not to stand alone but to work in combination with efforts such as that of the Vietnamese-American Community.
“These kinds of private partnerships are very important to the art program,” she said.
Nguyen and his supporters have raised $150,000 and are seeking $60,000 to 80,000 more to ensure completion of the monument.
How to help
A benefit concert is scheduled for 7 p.m. May 7 at Cathedral of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, 3214 N Lake Ave., which will sponsor the concert along with St. Andrew DungLac Church.
Donations for the monument can be sent to the Vietnamese-American Community, P.O. Box 60394, Oklahoma City, OK 73146.