Viet war memorial before GG council

MOCKUP of the proposed Vietnam War and Black April Memorial (City of Garden Grove).

A proposal to place a memorial in Garden Grove Park in observance of the fall of the government of South Vietnam, as well as honoring local residents who died in the Vietnam conflict, highlights Tuesday’s meeting of the Garden Grove City Council.

Councilman Phat Bui is sponsoring a plan to erect what’s termed the “Vietnam War and Black April Memorial” in the city’s largest park. Featured in the memorial would be images of five generals of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam who committed suicide when Communist forces prevailed in April 1975, as well as a list of 41 residents of Garden Grove who died during the war.

Additionally, the memorial would display the flags of the United States, the Republic of (South) Vietnam and the Missing In Action flag. Also cited will be American military units that participated in the conflict. The dimensions of the display are approximately 40 feet wide by 25 feet deep.

Efforts to create a Vietnam War museum on Harbor Boulevard in Garden Grove were abandoned due to a lack of fund-raising success. A Vietnam War memorial is in place in Sid Goldman Freedom Park in Westminster.

The council will meet at 6:30 p.m. in the Community Meeting Center, 11300 Stanford Ave.