PAPILLION, Neb. (KMTV) — In less than a year, two acres of land located next door to Sumtur Amphitheatre will begin to be transformed into a Nebraska Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
“The thing about this whole thing, is it’s quite different than other memorials across the country,” said Howard Ball.
Ball, the treasurer of the Nebraska Vietnam Memorial Foundation, has been working years to put up a memorial strictly for Vietnam veterans in Nebraska.
“We want to make this one strictly for the 396 Nebraska Vietnam veterans that were killed in Vietnam,” said Ball.
And as Ball said, this memorial will be different. Renderings show they will have a granite slab with all 396 Nebraskans who died in the war on one side.
The other side will include their pictures and will even allow visitors to hit a QR code to read more about the men who died.
“The biggest motivation is to recognize the 396 veterans that were killed,” said Ball.
The memorial got a major shot in the arm this month when Facebook donated $250,000. That money will help put up a building on the site and pay for educational materials on the who, what, where, when, how and why, of the Vietnam War.
Ball, a Vietnam veteran himself, said it’s time those men from Nebraska who served in the war get their due.
“A lot of veterans came home, they weren’t treated the best, there were no parades,” said Ball.
The total cost of the project is around $5.5 million and the group is still seeking another $3 million. You can donate or find out more on their website.
Download our apps today for all of our latest coverage.
Get the latest news and weather delivered straight to your inbox.