'Let it be a place of healing'
Thousands attend dedication of the Vietnam War Memorial in O.C.

The Orange County Register

WESTMINSTER - The dedication of the Vietnam War Memorial - the first to pay equal homage to both American and South Vietnamese soldiers - drew some 9,000 people Sunday.

In addition to thousands of residents from Little Saigon and elsewhere in the county, the crowd swelled with visitors from San Jose, site of another large Vietnamese-American community. Others rode shuttle buses from local high schools to see the 11-foot-high bronze statuary at Freedom Park.

The memorial was first proposed seven years ago. Its supporters raised $1 million in donations. The project weathered controversy, including resistance to using public land for a private project.

The memorial shows an American G.I. standing beside a South Vietnamese soldier atop a fountain.

The inscription reads, in part, "It is sometimes said that heroes are hard to find. People who understand the meaning of duty, honor and country need to look no further than those who fight for freedom and democracy."

Westminster Mayor Margie L. Rice said of the memorial Sunday, "Let it be a place of healing and remembrance for our community and our country."

Ba Ngo, 63, was an army major from 1961 to 1975. He was jailed for 13 years after the war.

"We held guns to protect our freedom," said the Garden Grove retiree. "That sacrifice is important. Those of us who are alive today must remember that sacrifice. The effort was important, regardless of the out come."