Organizers launch ‘Operation: Final Step,’ aimed at urging veterans to give $5 each
A local effort launched in 2015 to erect a $1 million replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Medford is halfway to fruition.
A local effort launched in 2015 to erect a $1 million replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Medford is halfway to fruition.
Organizers of the project are hoping to finish fundraising so the wall — 80% of the size of the original — can be dedicated within the next year.
Spearheaded by a group called Southern Oregon Veterans Benefit, the 493-foot structure is planned for Lithia & Driveway Fields, formerly US Cellular Community Park, adjacent to Bear Creek and the Jefferson Nature Center.
Southern Oregon Veterans Benefit President Ron Kohl said the project was long overdue and would be an important tribute to the men and women who lost their lives during the Vietnam War.
The project was first announced in 2015, and organizers came to an agreement for a long-term lease for a dollar per year with the City of Medford.
A benefit concert that same year by country music singer Kenny Rogers raised over $65,000 toward the project, with another $250,000 awarded under House Bill 5006 and some $200,000 in donations.
Purchase of the wall — currently being stored by a local contractor — cost $290,000.
Kohl estimated another $550,000 is needed, including in-kind donations materials and labor.
“We’ve got the location. We’ve got a contract with the City of Medford. We are preparing the land to go ahead and receive the wall as soon as we finish fundraising,” he said.
“We have a contractor, an architect, an electrician and an engineer. Everyone is on standby. We just need money in the bank so that, when somebody works, we can pay them.”
Kohl started a campaign recently called “Operation: Final Step” to help close the funding gap. If each of the roughly 90,000 veterans in Jackson and Josephine counties contributed $5 each, the project could be fully funded, he said.
“If we could get a simple $5 donation from every veteran in Jackson and Josephine counties, it would be absolutely marvelous,” Kohl said.
Kohl said Southern Oregon Subaru recently donated $500, and he hoped other local dealerships and businesses would consider matching the donation.
“We’re issuing a challenge to all our local dealerships and other businesses, saying, ‘If you just put in five bucks for every vet you have working for you, in honor of them and their service to our country, it would get us a lot closer than we are now,’” he said.
“Donations of $500 or more will be listed on our donor plaques at the site,” he said.
Kohl invited veterans who send in a $5 donation to include a service patch with their name — or that of a loved one who served during Vietnam — written on the back.
A time capsule will be buried at the site containing memorabilia, patches and a Purple Heart medal.
“This project is about honoring our Vietnam vets, especially the 58,479 who are being honored with their name on the wall because they gave the ultimate sacrifice,” said Kohl.
Once complete, the wall would be the largest memorial for Vietnam veterans west of the Mississippi River, Kohl said. A plaque honoring the 132 veterans from the seven southernmost counties in Oregon will be placed adjacent to the main wall.
“We have been continuously doing something on this, all the way through, since 2015. Sometimes it’s $40 here, $5 there, but it has been ongoing,” he said.
“It’s really important that we recognize the sacrifice of these men and women. This will be a very special place for Southern Oregon … and it’s time to get it finished.”
For more info, or to donate, see sovbmemorialwall.com/operation-final-step/
Checks, made out to SOVB, can be mailed to P.O. BOX 1013, Medford OR 97501.
Reach freelance writer Buffy Pollock at buffyp76@yahoo.com.
