**I NEED YOUR HELP**

Calling all Veterans and Individuals ...

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We went before the Mayor and Council on October 5, 2021

to propose the addition of a helicopter

to the Vietnam War Veterans Monument site

at 181 South Walnut Street, Hagerstown, Maryland.

The following story appeared in the Herald Mail newspaper on

October 7, 2021.

... PLEASE READ ...

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"VETS PROPOSED HELICOPTER AT WAR MEMORIAL

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A veterans group wants to add an iconic aircraft to Hagerstown’s Vietnam War memorial, but some residents and members of the city council have some concerns.

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Chairman of the group behind Vietnam War Veterans Memorial Jim Kline proposed adding a full-size Bell UH-1C helicopter to the site, saying the vehicle, also known as a Huey, is one of the most familiar images associated with the war and would be an “exceptional piece of history” to accompany the monument on South Walnut Street.

 

The addition, which he said “won’t cost the city a dime,” would need Hagerstown government’s approval as the monument is in City Park.

Kline, who is also president of the Joint Veterans Council of Washington County, asked the mayor and city council on Tuesday to “keep an open mind” about the proposal.

 

The helicopter would be mounted on a pylon to the left of the monument and the inside would be empty.

 

It would not detract from the existing memorial, but instead enhance and add an educational component, according to Kline.

 

A proposal was presented to the Hagerstown Mayor and City Council Tuesday to add a full-size Huey helicopter to the Vietnam War Veteran Memorial located along South Walnut Street.

 

The Joint Veterans Council’s monument committee spent more than two years planning and fundraising more than $150,000 to bring the original monument to life.

 

It features three pieces — two that feature a historical account of the war and recognize the veterans and military branches that served in the war, and a middle piece that memorializes the 17 county residents killed in Vietnam.

 

The monument was dedicated in March 2019.

Kline said he had more than 500 signatures on a petition to add the helicopter to the site, noting he knew there was some opposition to the idea from some residents.

 

Ron Moats, with the American Legion Post 10 in Boonsboro, read a letter to the mayor and council, saying the proposal had his support. He said many post members served in Vietnam and appreciated the role Hueys played in keeping them supplied while on the battlefield, providing cover during battle and transporting the injured.

 

Past Joint Veterans Council President Richard Hembrock, who served in Vietnam at the beginning and end of the war, said the Huey was vital during the conflict and would be a “great addition” to the existing monument.

 

Councilman Kristin Aleshire questioned the “visual impact” of a roughly 60-foot helicopter in the area, and Councilman Bob Bruchey said having a size-accurate drawing could be useful.

 

Councilwoman Tiara Burnett said while she thinks the helicopter is important, she wasn’t sure about its place at City Park.

 

Calling the current monument “beautiful,” Mayor Emily Keller said she didn’t think a helicopter “adds value” or matches with landscape of the site or the rest of the park.

 

Kline asked where else it should go, adding that City Park was constantly evolving and changing, noting the new walking trail, which was completed in the spring behind the monument.

 

The proposal could come before the mayor and council again at a later date."

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I NEED EVERYONE who would like to see this iconic piece of Vietnam history added to our monument site

to write a letter to the

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Mayor and Council

City Hall

Hagerstown, MD 21740

(mark the letter and the envelope "Add the Helicopter")

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requesting that the Joint Veterans Council be allowed to place a helicopter at the site, mounted on a pylon up in the air.

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Vietnam Veterans, YOU know the significance of what the helicopter was to Vietnam.

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Let your voices be heard.

Don't let the Veterans of Vietnam be forgotten.