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Site of New Ulm Vietnam Memorial

To the editor:

The commission that was created to discuss the location of a Vietnam Memorial met on July 19 in the council chambers. For reasons contrary to all city meetings, this meeting was not recorded nor announced publicly. This is most unfortunate. The testimonies of the Vietnam Veterans who spoke of their experiences in combat and the blatant disrespect they received after they came home would have been a priceless, tragic record of how not to treat our veterans.

Since the Vietnam Conflict there have been the Gulf War, Iraq, and Afghanistan Wars with more New Ulm soldiers wounded or killed in action. Many of our veterans are buried in the New Ulm and Church Cemeteries. There is already a WWI Doughboy Memorial.

Every Memorial Day, the New Ulm Legion lines the Cemetery Avenue with a beautiful display of American flags purchased by families of their deceased veterans. The Municipal Band plays, the Gettysburg Address is read. My father, whose brother was a Marine pilot shot down at Guadalcanal, whose nephew was one of the soldiers from New Ulm killed in Vietnam (my first cousin), started taking us to this moving annual tribute when we were very young and I try never to miss it. There needs to be an open public discussion on this matter. Allowing someone to donate money for a public monument and choose where it goes and what it looks like with no questions asked is a precedent New Ulm should not accept.

German Park is not the place for a series of war memorials. It is a place for music, plays, picnics and relaxation.

Ellen Vancura

New Ulm

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