Wentzville in St. Charles County, Missouri — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)

The Nation's First Vietnam Memorial

Wentzville, Missouri: The Crossroads of the Nation

Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), March 22, 2021

1. The Nation's First Vietnam Memorial

Inscription.
Originally dedicated on Dec. 7, 1967, this is the very first memorial in the United States that recognized soldiers of the Vietnam War. During the 1967 dedication, attendees stood in the freezing rain to pay tribute to those who were serving in this armed conflict.

Today, the memorial serves as a remembrance of those who fought and served. The memorial was renovated and expanded in 2017 in honor of its 50th anniversary.

The Vietnam War
Major Battles
Invasion of Laos, 1971
U.S. Air Raids, 1966-1968, 1972
Gulf of Tonkin Incident, 1964
Dien Bien Phu, 1954
Tet Offensive, 1968
Fall of Saigon, 1975

The Vietnam War was a long, costly, armed conflict that pitted the communist regime of North Vietnam and its southern allies (known as the Viet Cong), against South Vietnam and its principle ally, the United States. The war began in 1954 (though regional conflict stretched back to the mid-1940s), after the rise of power of Ho Chi Minh and his communist Vet Minh party in North Vietnam, and continued against the backdrop of an intense Cold War between two global superpowers: the United States and the Soviet Union.

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than three million people (including more than 50,000 Americans) were killed in the Vietnam War; more than half were Vietnamese civilians. By 1969, at the peak of U.S. involvement in the war, more than 500,000 U.S. military personnel were involved in the Vietnam conflict. Growing opposition to the war in the United States led to a division among Americans, both before and after President Richard Nixon ordered the withdrawal of U.S. personnel in 1973. In 1975, communist forces seized control of Saigon, ending the Vietnam War, and the country was unified as a Socialist Republic of Vietnam the following year.

Honor and Remember

Robert William Smith
Private First Class Robert had just arrived in Vietnam two days prior to a skirmish with North Vietnamese forces. He died of multiple fragmentation wounds from mortar shrapnel in Tây Ninh, Vietnam. Tây Ninh served as the base for the 196th Light Infantry Brigade. Robert was laid to rest in the Eternal Peace Cemetery, here in Wentzville.

His name appears on Panel 12E, Line 064 of the Vietnam War Memorial Wall in Washington, D.C.

Dale Ray Ross
Petty Officer Second Class Dale was stationed on board the USS Forrestal in the Gulf of Tonkin, North Vietnam. A five-inch Zuni rocket accidentally fired across a crowded flight deck, impacting an armed Douglas A-4 Skyhawk aircraft, killing 135 crewmen, including PO2 Ross who is buried in Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, D.C.

His name appears on Panel 24 E, Line 042 of the Vietnam Memorial Wall in Washington, D.C.

Both Robert William Smith and Dale Ray Ross were Wentzville residents at the time of their deaths.

Erected 2017

Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), March 22, 2021

2. The Nation's First Vietnam Memorial

by The City of Wentzville, Missouri.

Topics and series. This memorial is listed in these topic lists: Arts, Letters, Music • War, Vietnam. In addition, it is included in the Former U.S. Presidents: #37 Richard M. Nixon series list. A significant historical date for this entry is December 7, 1967.

Location. 38° 48.703′ N, 90° 51.331′ W. Memorial is in Wentzville, Missouri, in St. Charles County. It is on West Pearce Boulevard just west of North Church Street, on the right when traveling west. Touch for map. Memorial is at or near this postal address: 203 W Pearce Blvd, Wentzville MO 63385, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this memorial is in the Missouri River Corridor

and in Greater St. Louis.

It is also in the American Midwest,

in the Lewis & Clark Corridor,

in the Corn Belt,

and in the Great River Road Region.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

the Louisiana Purchase,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are

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within walking distance of this marker: Wentzville Vietnam Veterans Memorial (here, next to this marker); Vietnam War Memorial (within shouting distance of this marker); Bicentennial Park (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); World War II Honor Roll (about 500 feet away); Historic Wentzville Tobacco Factory (about 700 feet away); Afghanistan and Iraq War Memorial (about 700 feet away); Battle of Wentzville (approx. ¼ mile away); History of Wentzville (approx. ¼ mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Wentzville.

Credits. This page was last revised on March 27, 2021. It was originally submitted on March 27, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 1,527 times since then and 128 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on March 27, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.