Big Spring Vietnam Memorial
Encyclopedia
The Big Spring Vietnam Memorial is a war memorial
located in Big Spring, Texas
, United States
, honoring American servicemen
(especially those local to Big Spring) who gave their lives, became prisoners of war
or went missing in action
in the Vietnam War
.
Dedicated May 27, 1991, the black granite
memorial monument
measures 9.5 feet (2.9 m) by 6 feet (1.8 m) by 6 feet (1.8 m), and bears the names of 41 Howard County servicemen who were killed or taken prisoner of war in Vietnam, a map of Vietnam, and a POW-MIA logo.
The 2 acres (8,093.7 m²) park
surrounding the memorial also contains a UH-1 "Huey" MEDEVAC
helicopter, an F-4E Phantom II
fighter jet, an AH-1 Cobra attack helicopter
, and a M48 Patton tank
.
The soldier's chapel built on the site also displays servicemen from the area killed in other wars. In the center are pictures and names of servicemen from the Howard County area.
War memorial
A war memorial is a building, monument, statue or other edifice to celebrate a war or victory, or to commemorate those who died or were injured in war.-Historic usage:...
located in Big Spring, Texas
Big Spring, Texas
Big Spring is a city in and the county seat of Howard County, Texas, United States, at the crossroads of U.S. Highway 87 and Interstate 20. With a population of 25,233 at the 2000 census, it is the largest city between Midland to the west, Abilene to the east, Lubbock to the north, and San Angelo...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, honoring American servicemen
United States armed forces
The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. They consist of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard.The United States has a strong tradition of civilian control of the military...
(especially those local to Big Spring) who gave their lives, became prisoners of war
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
or went missing in action
Missing in action
Missing in action is a casualty Category assigned under the Status of Missing to armed services personnel who are reported missing during active service. They may have been killed, wounded, become a prisoner of war, or deserted. If deceased, neither their remains nor grave can be positively...
in the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
.
Dedicated May 27, 1991, the black granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
memorial monument
Monument
A monument is a type of structure either explicitly created to commemorate a person or important event or which has become important to a social group as a part of their remembrance of historic times or cultural heritage, or simply as an example of historic architecture...
measures 9.5 feet (2.9 m) by 6 feet (1.8 m) by 6 feet (1.8 m), and bears the names of 41 Howard County servicemen who were killed or taken prisoner of war in Vietnam, a map of Vietnam, and a POW-MIA logo.
The 2 acres (8,093.7 m²) park
Park
A park is a protected area, in its natural or semi-natural state, or planted, and set aside for human recreation and enjoyment, or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. It may consist of rocks, soil, water, flora and fauna and grass areas. Many parks are legally protected by...
surrounding the memorial also contains a UH-1 "Huey" MEDEVAC
MEDEVAC
Medical evacuation, often termed Medevac or Medivac, is the timely and efficient movement and en route care provided by medical personnel to the wounded being evacuated from the battlefield or to injured patients being evacuated from the scene of an accident to receiving medical facilities using...
helicopter, an F-4E Phantom II
F-4 Phantom II
The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II is a tandem two-seat, twin-engined, all-weather, long-range supersonic jet interceptor fighter/fighter-bomber originally developed for the United States Navy by McDonnell Aircraft. It first entered service in 1960 with the U.S. Navy. Proving highly adaptable,...
fighter jet, an AH-1 Cobra attack helicopter
AH-1 Cobra
The Bell AH-1 Cobra is a two-bladed, single engine attack helicopter manufactured by Bell Helicopter. It shares a common engine, transmission and rotor system with the older UH-1 Iroquois...
, and a M48 Patton tank
M48 Patton
The M48 Patton is a medium tank that was designed in the United States. It was the third and final tank to be officially named after General George S. Patton, commander of the U.S. Third Army during World War II and one of the earliest American advocates for the use of tanks in battle It was a...
.
The soldier's chapel built on the site also displays servicemen from the area killed in other wars. In the center are pictures and names of servicemen from the Howard County area.