VIETNAM MEMORIAL WALL

The Manitoba Chapter of the Canadian Vietnam Veterans Association unveiled a Memorial Wall in Winnipeg on June 11, 2005. I had the honour of attending this event and is an article that appeared in the Winnipeg Free Press and I have some pictures from this event.

By Dan Lett

THE secret that Barbara Perkin has carried for almost 40 years is finally out in the open. Perkin's husband, Vernon, was sent to Vietnam in September 1965 as part of a Canadian contribution to an inter-national negotiating committee. With-in one month, he had been declared missing in action.

Yesterday in Winnipeg, Vernon Perkin's name was listed on a special memorial to 111 Canadians who lost their lives in the Vietnam conflict.

"He was asked by his country to go," said Perkin. "They were part of a truce team, moving between the Americans and the Viet Cong. He went missing and was never heard from again.

"He's never really had any recogni.tion before. This is really great for the family. He's remembered now."

The gleaming red and white metal monument unveiled in Winnipeg is a special project of the Manitoba Chapter of the Canadian Vietnam Veterans' Association to recognize the 107 Cana.dians who died while serving in the U.S. armed forces, and for Canadians killed or missing in the service of the truce team.

Ron Parkes, a Winnipeg resident and president of the association, said the new monument is designed to be taken apart and moved for maximum exposure. In this way it can augment a permanent monument in Windsor, Ontario.

"We wanted to get the word out to more people and share the news about the people who sacrificed their lives," said Parkes, 62, who served four months in Vietnam as part of the U.S. Army.

More than 12,000 Canadians are thought to have served in the Ameri.can military during the Vietnam conflict. Those names are included in the main Vietnam memorial in Washing-ton, D.C.

However, it was felt that a move-able monument would allow for maximum exposure for those who had made the ultimate sacrifice in Vietnam, he said.

The idea for the monument came from Doug Anderson, program direc.tor for the Fargo Air Museum in North Dakota. His design has resulted in a two-by-four-metre monument comprised of six aluminum panels that form the background to the Canadian flag. A raised red maple leaf sits in the middle.

The names of the 111 Canadians killed or missing in Vietnam are listed on the red blocks on either side.

The exposure is a bittersweet expe.rience for many of the Vietnam veter.ans gathered in Winnipeg. For years after returning to Canada, many were faced with indifference or hostility about their participation in an unpop.ular American conflict.

Many recalled how Vietnam veter.ans were excluded from the Royal Canadian Legions when they returned home. It was a signal that no one, not even the veterans of other wars, understood what these Canadians had done.

"Nobody knew about us and we really didn't want to talk about it," said Robert Purvis, who served in Vietnam with the U.S. Army from 1969 to 1970.

The new monument should not only serve as a memorial to those who died, but also as a warning that if possible, these conflicts should be avoided in the future, Purvis said.

"War is a horrible experience and I don't want my son or anyone else's sons to go through what I went through," he said.

The Canadian Vietnam Veterans Association is still trying to raise money to send the new monument on a tour of Canada. Parkes said. For the time being, it is expected the new metal monument will be seen in spots throughout Manitoba and North Dakota.

dan.lett@freepress.mb.ca

THE MEMORIAL WALL

The purpose of the memorial is to:

-- HONOUR the Canadians who followed their conscience and fought for freedom in the Vietnam War.

-- EDUCATE raise public awareness of Canadian participation in Vietnam.

-- STIMULATE the spirit of patriotism in Canada.

The design was the idea of Doug Anderson, program director of the Fargo Air Museum. The wall is in the shape of the Canadian flag, to reflect the heritage of those who gave their lives. It is 6' high and 12' wide. The Memorial is a "moving" wall, consisting of six panels that make up the flag, and a separate elevated maple leaf that affixes to the center of the wall. The Wall is made of thin aluminum, formed and welded together and tilled with Styrofoam insulation. The panels were powder coated for durability.

Names will be listed chronologically. The names of four Canadian military personnel who died in Vietnam while serving with the International Control Commission are listed separately.

MC Rick King Associate Member

Marching on the Colours

President Club 60 ANAVETS John Strachan

President Ron Parks Vietnam Veterans