Vietnam Memorial dedication on Veterans Day

BY PRU SOWERS

KONK LIFE STAFF WRITER

After almost two years of planning, fundraising and construction, the Vietnam Living Memorial will be dedicated on Veterans Day, Wednesday, Nov. 11, in Bayview Park.

The dedication ceremony will be held from 5 pm to 8 pm and will include music and floats from Veterans Day Parade, held earlier in the day. Alcoholic beverages will also be available for purchase.

The 75 x 75-foot plot containing the memorial is located near the corner of North Roosevelt Blvd. and Jose Marti Drive. The lushly landscaped corner of Bayview Park now includes a stone wall with the names of all Vietnam veterans who were either born or lived in Key West during the war years, including servicemen stationed in Key West at that time. Active Vietnam War solders living in the Florida Keys from Marathon south were also eligible for inclusion.

The memorial cost approximately $500,000. City commissioners voted in March 2014 to contribute $150,000 towards the project with memorial organizers, many of them Vietnam vets themselves, raising another $50,000, including a $25,000 donation from real estate developer Pritam Singh. With local architect Bert Bender donating $50,000 in pro bono services from his firm, Bender & Associates, the city qualified for a matching $250,000 grant from the Monroe County Tourist Development Council.

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