By Steve Bates,

In a letter dated January 30, 2019, Oregon’s Secretary of State made a resounding endorsement of the Vietnam War Memorial on the Oregon State Capitol Grounds Project.

Secretary Richardson cited his support for House Bill 2195 which establishes a Vietnam War Memorial on the Capitol Grounds.

Steve Bates, President of the Vietnam War Memorial Fund, the non-profit established for the sole purpose of designing and building a Vietnam War Memorial on the Oregon State Capitol Grounds, stated: “We are grateful to Secretary Richardson. We appreciate his service to our country as a Vietnam Helicopter Pilot and his service to our state as a Representative and Secretary of State”.

In a previous Op-Ed article, Steve Bates identified that the State should honor our Vietnam Veterans with a Vietnam War Memorial on the Oregon State Capitol Grounds.

Secretary of State Richardson shares that sentiment as he wrote:

“The sacrifices made by Oregon’s Vietnam veterans should be memorialized, and there is no more fitting place to build their memorial than on the grounds of the people’s Capitol.”

House Bill 2195 has been assigned to the House Committee on Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness for review and vetting. Steve Bates stated: “We ask that everyone contact their Senator and Representative and tell them to support HB2195 with a Yes vote as we need to honor our Vietnam Era veterans.”

HB2195 identifies that the Vietnam War Memorial will be designed and built with contributions from the public. The Vietnam War Memorial Fund has engaged a landscape architect firm which is currently working on a design for the Memorial. The Vietnam War Memorial Fund Steering Committee has been meeting regularly over the past year reviewing and approving various elements of the memorial. Steve Bates has stated “It is anticipated that we will have a draft sketch and layout of the memorial at our next Steering Committee meeting on March 1st. Anyone wishing to make a contribution to help pay for this design management work can go to our website at www.vietnamwarmemorialfund.org and donate on line. All contributions are tax deductible.”

In addition to Secretary of State Richardson’s endorsement, the Vietnam War Memorial Fund is pleased to provide the following list of other officials who have endorsed the Vietnam War Memorial on the Oregon State Capitol Grounds. A complete list of endorsements can be found on the Vietnam War Memorial Fund’s website.