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July / August 2010
Volume 22, Number 4

MILITARY BUFFS, HISTORIANS, PATRIOTS AND students don’t have to travel to Washington, D.C., to express their pride and thanks to those who have sacrificed for their country — especially if they are interested in visiting the famous Vietnam Veterans Memorial, a dedication to the more than 58,000 soldiers who died or went missing while serving overseas during the conflict.

Instead, they can honor the heroism while celebrating small-town America with a road trip to Kaufman County Veterans’ Memorial Park, where visitors can view a replica of the memorial, along with local war monuments dedicated to the area’s men and women who fought in other conflicts. The replica had once traveled throughout the United States, briefly stopping in Kaufman County in April 2007. The event lured more than 20,000 visitors to the park and generated so much buzz and public support that county commissioners and other elected officials decided to raise the funds and resources necessary to purchase the monument and give it a permanent home.

“Everybody just really enjoyed it,” said County Treasurer Johnny Countryman, who is a veteran himself. “It kept coming up in all the conversations I had.” The 380-foot-long wall is four-fifths the size of the original and is one of several replica walls that traveled the country as part of the American Veterans Traveling Tribute, a veteran-owned charity organization that includes traveling displays on the timeline of World War II events, battle maps of the Korean War, artwork from Vietnam War vets and historical documents. The Kaufman County wall had been on the road since 1998, visiting up to 40 cities a year, but once Don Allen, the owner of the wall, saw it in Kaufman’s scenic park setting, he offered to sell it, telling officials that he wanted it residing in a home where it would be an asset and a benefit to the community. Kaufman County seemed like a natural fit.

But it took comments from some eager county residents to finally convince Countryman to push forward.

“You know, I just was not sure at first,” Countryman said about the investment. “But I kept having all those people come up to me, telling me how much they enjoyed it.”

Countryman brought the idea to the attention of County Judge Wayne Gent and the commissioners court, and in February 2008 the court voted to approve the $250,000 purchase of the wall and authorizing a $50,000 down payment.

The vote was personal for Judge Gent, a Scout Sniper and U.S. Marine during the Vietnam War. Gent, a Purple Heart recipient, was wounded in Vietnam and said he believes he came close to having his name on that wall a couple times.

“When people go to the wall and actually see it, it dawns on them that these are not just names engraved on a wall, these are individuals. And there were lots of young individuals,” Gent said. “There are a number of veterans in Kaufman County, not just from Vietnam, but from World War II, Korea, and now from Iraq and Afghanistan. This is a very patriotic county and this wall is very exciting, emotional and hopefully healing for residents.”

To help get this healing wall a permanent home, the county needed to raise the remaining $200,000 for the wall and additional funds for the installation and beautification of the park. Countryman turned to county residents and local institutions. He worked with the American Legion, the local Veterans of Foreign Wars chapter, the City of Kaufman, the local chambers of commerce and the Economic Development Corporation (EDC) to raise funds. The EDC, excited about the idea, donated $100,000 for the wall. Countryman also formed a committee consisting of county veterans to pursue other fundraising measures. The Friends of the Vietnam Wall of Texas Committee formed and teamed up with the local veteran institutions to raise the remaining funds through private donors and the sale of patriotic items, such as sew-on patches for biker jackets, tee shirts, caps, sweatshirts and jewelry. The small $5 donations began adding up, and larger donations — up to $25,000 —helped all the hard work pay off by May 2009.

The wall was not officially unveiled until Nov. 7, 2009. The Forney Messenger estimated that more than 2,500 residents showed up to witness the dedication, which included a parade and a flyover by the U.S. Air Force.

But the fundraising is not over yet. The county has plans to buy a nearby 6,100 sq. ft. building and convert it to a museum, gift shop and meeting rooms. The county is slated to take over the building by April 2011 and hopes to have all renovations done by next summer. There are also hopes of adding a Vietnam-era helicopter and cannon to the park. To pay for the additions, the committee has set up a donation box on-site at the park and is offering residents a customized 16x16-inch paver brick for donations. The bricks will line the walkways of the new monument and museum area.

Countryman and his fellow wall supporters believe the wall is not only going to provide healing, but also serve as a boon to Kaufman County tourism. The county estimates the wall will generate approximately 75,000 tourists a year, leading to an increased sale of hotel rooms. Eventually, officials believe the wall could make the county as much as $44 million a year.

To get to the Kaufman County Veterans’ Memorial Park from the county courthouse, just head a mile and a half south down S. Washington Street and take a left on S. Houston Street.