Fundraising efforts are underway to build a monument in Fort Worth honoring 221 local soldiers who died in combat in Vietnam.
The Tarrant County Vietnam Memorial Foundation and volunteers are working to raise awareness and funds for the monument at Veterans Memorial Park.
According to the organization’s treasurer Damon Harvey, the memorial costs $300,000-$500,000. So far, about $30,000 has been raised.
If you’d like to honor a veteran, the organization is working with ACME Brick of Fort Worth to sell monogrammed brick pavers to be featured on the memorial.
The design
In 2020, students from Fort Worth area schools submitted designs for the memorial. Ryan Scieneaux — a former White Settlement Brewer High School student — created the winning sculpture of a tree to represent life.
Local sculptor Michael Pavlovsky will construct the monument and work with Texas landscape architectural firm Pacheco Koch . The organization is currently working to finalize the design.
The group hopes to install the monument by 2026.