By Sara Beth Williams–
The construction of the first replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall on the west coast is moving closer to becoming a reality, as the nonprofit spearheading the project continues to raise funds and awareness.
The $7 million project is over halfway funded through financial backing and donations of services and materials, the Citrus Heights Veterans Memorial Project nonprofit said in an update to the Citrus Heights City Council on Feb. 11.
The replica Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall is proposed to be constructed on the premises of Calvary Cemetery and will be visible from Interstate 80, according to Scott Miller with Catholic Funeral and Cemetery Services, which owns Calvary Cemetery. Miller is also on the board of the veterans’ nonprofit.
Miller said the wall will now be constructed as a 95 percent replica of the original Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall located in Washington, DC, instead of the 80 percent replica proposed initially. The wall will be constructed of granite, and the names will be engraved, not etched, just as they are on the wall in Washington, DC, to allow for pencil rubbings.
A rendering shared by the nonprofit shows the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall situated on the cemetery premises, measuring 9 and a half feet tall, with a sidewalk and grass field in front and grass and trees behind the wall.
An aerial rendering also shared shows the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall situated across from an existing smaller veterans’ memorial, with Interstate 80 situated to the left of where the new Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall will be erected.
Miller reported that design and construction plans are complete, construction plans have been approved, a granite vendor has been selected, the project budget has been finalized, and a fundraising committee has been established.
The nonprofit needs to raise $3.1 million more to completely fund the project, Miller said.
During the Feb. 11 council meeting, the council unanimously approved the award of $20,000 in grant funding to the nonprofit for the project from the city’s History and Arts grant fund. The nonprofit had previously received a $20,000 grant as well as a $100,000 donation from the Citrus Heights Rotary Foundation.
The City Council also previously approved a Memorandum of Understanding between the nonprofit, the city, and the Catholic Funeral & Cemetery Services, which owns the Calvary Cemetery property. The city’s participation includes waiving fees and accelerated processing of plans and inspections, according to Citrus Heights City Manager Ash Feeney, as well as making formal requests to partner agencies to do the same.
In 2023, Citrus Heights was selected to host The Wall That Heals, a three-quarter scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, along with a mobile education center. The Wall That Heals honors the more than three million Americans who served in the U.S. Armed forces in the Vietnam War, and it bears the names of the 58,281 men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice in Vietnam.
Donations to the replica Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall project can be made directly to the nonprofit by visiting the Citrus Heights Veterans Memorial Project website.
