Compiled By Andy Richmond
It consists of a wall with the names of 662 KIAs and MIAs from Arkansas and a statue of an infantryman on a base inscribed with the names of each of the U.S. military branches. It is framed by the United States and Arkansas flags and is illuminated for night viewing.
The Memorial was dedicated with a ceremony on 7 March, 1987, which was attended by retired Army Gen. William C. Westmoreland. Westmoreland pushed a fellow Vietnam Vet in a wheelchair in a parade in downtown Little Rock.
The Memorial was designed by Stephen Gartmann and is believed to be the first Vietnam Veterans Memorial to be located on the grounds of a state capitol.
The statue of the soldier was dedicated on Veterans Day, 11 November, 1987. It was designed by John Deering, a political cartoonist for the Arkansas Democrat, a Little Rock daily newspaper.
The funding for the Memorial came from just over $150,000 in private contributions and $150,000 in matching State funds appropriated by the Arkansas General Assembly in 1983. Then Governor Bill Clinton appointed a committee of several veterans to oversee the process of completing the Memorial wall and statue.
Many visitors come to the Memorial each year to remember those family members and friends whose names are inscribed on the wall, particularly on Memorial Day and Veterans Day when memorial ceremonies are usually held.
The Memorial is easily found by taking the 6th Street exit from I-30 and driving west approximately 20 blocks to the State capitol grounds. Free, curbside parking is normally available near the Memorial on Woodlane Street.
This information was provided by the Arkansas Secretary of State's office which is charged with the responsibility of the maintenance and upkeep of all properties making up the State capitol buildings and grounds.
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