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The Vietnam Veterans Memorial in New Mexico is located just outside the town of Angel Fire. We stopped by while driving the Enchanted Circle Scenic Byway.
History
The Vietnam Veterans Memorial was built by Dr. Victor “Doc” Westphall (1913-2003) to honor his son, U.S. Marine Corps First Lieutenant Victor David Westphall III, and fifteen other men that died with him near Con Thien, South Vietnam, on May 22, 1968.
The original name of the memorial was the Vietnam Veterans Peace and Brotherhood Chapel, and it was dedicated on May 22, 1971. It was the first major memorial dedicated to veterans of the Vietnam War, and inspired the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, DC.
In 1985, Westphall broke ground on a visitor center, which sits underneath the chapel and was completed a year later. On Veterans Day in 2005, the memorial became a state park and many much-needed renovations were made. It remained a state park until July 3, 2017.
Visiting
The main parts of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial are the chapel and visitor center. The chapel is open 24 hours a day while the visitor center is open daily from 9am to 5pm. There is no fee to visit.
Huey Helicopter
Before entering the chapel and visitor center, we walked through the grounds. The path from the parking lot first leads to an authentic Huey helicopter. The Bell Iroquois UH-1 was widely used in Vietnam and was installed at the memorial in May 1999.
Veterans Memorial Walkway
Next, we walked down the Veterans Memorial Walkway. It’s paved with bricks etched with the names and dates of service of American veterans. Bricks with no ending date indicate that person is still serving. Two stars means the person was killed in action. One star signifies missing in action.
Amphitheater
From there, we went past the amphitheater, which was built during the memorial’s time as a state park.
Doug Scott Sculpture
A few steps away, we saw the Doug Scott Sculpture. It depicts a soldier writing home from the war and was dedicated on Memorial Day in 2003. The artist was Doug Scott from Taos.
Soil Marker
Finally, before entering the visitor center, we walked by a marker. It indicates the spot where on April 24, 1994, Doc Westphall took a handful of soil. He took the soil to Vietnam, and on May 2, 1994, scattered it at the site of his son’s death. Doc Westphall then took soil from the ambush site and mixed it with New Mexico soil at this spot on May 5, 1994.
Visitor Center
The visitor center was built underground in order to not disturb the architectural features of the chapel. It contains a media room and another room honoring those killed or missing in action.
New Mexico State Parks enlarged the visitor center from 6,000 to 8,000 square feet. They added office space, restrooms, gallery space, a conference room, library, and a gift shop.
Chapel
The chapel contains the photos of 13 Vietnam War dead or missing. They’re rotated on a monthly basis, alphabetically by state. The photo of David Westphall remains permanently on display.
Westphall Graves
Finally, after exiting the chapel, we saw the graves of Doc Westphall and his wife, Jeanne.
