These Marines provide security around Da Nang Airfield and did patrols, ambushes and other missions, making the way for future units to come in.
While working on another recent memorial in the park, Randy Ark, a local Vietnam Army veteran who is active in numerous veteran’s programs, noticed the tribute marker and was curious.
He got together with Warren, one of those Marines, in spring 2015 and coordinated fundraising efforts to construct a black marble memorial.
Donations and contributions are still being collected for the $25,000 cost of the new monument. To contribute or for more information on the monument project, contact Ark at randyark48@gmail.com. Or checks and money orders can be sent to Warren at 1/3 Memorial Fund, C/O Roger Warren, 241 S. Dugan Road, Urbana, OH 43078.
Although the site for the new marker hasn’t been confirmed, it will complement the the recently dedicated Vietnam Dog Tag and War Dog monuments, located on the east side of the parking lot from the Springfield Museum of Art.
Warren, who lives in Urbana, said regardless of what history books and pundits espouse, the Vietnam war basically boiled down to young men and boys trying to keep one another alive under difficult and trying circumstances.
“Our battalion … set the standard for those who would follow,” he said. “This memorial is symbolic of our service, not only to country and corps, but to one another. In other respects, it also represents all Marines, particularly those who would follow us into Vietnam.”
Several of the Marines from the 1st Battalion, 3rd Marines have stayed in touch and had reunions over the years. This will be a permanent reminder.
Ark is working with National Trail Parks and Recreation District officials for the new monument’s placement, and he and Warren are working with Dodds Monuments, which is creating the monument.
The smaller granite marker will become part of the new monument, which will feature laser engravings.
Ark said he was amazed at the number of people who were at the dog tag monument dedication and stop by to pay their respects.
“I try to help people who remember those in this city who sacrificed for what we have and to keep alive in their memory of those who fought for our freedom,” he said.
The goal is to dedicate the new monument on July 3, 2016, to coincide with the anniversary of the first monument’s dedication in 1988.
“We want this for our grandchildren and their grandchildren,” Warren said. “It’s part of our legacy. It’s a gift for everybody who served. This history is right in our backyard.”
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