Volusia County Unveiling Vietnam Memorial Wall

The Volusia County government is unveiling a new tribute to American armed service members, per an announcement on Tuesday. A wall memorializing Vietnam veterans will be unveiled in Daytona Beach on Friday, March 27. The unveiling will take place at 10:00 a.m. at Veterans Memorial Plaza (125 E. Orange Ave, Daytona Beach). The memorial will be a monument forged out of gray granite. It will stand five feet tall and eight and a half feet wide. The county is installing the memorial at Veterans Memorial Plaza in Daytona Beach, where it will stand with the Halifax River as a backdrop. Etched onto the memorial wall are a series of scenes on the Vietnam Memorial Wall and Vietnam Women’s Memorial in Washington D.C. This imagery “will document the war, those who served, those lost, and those who came home,” the county said. An inscription on a panel will bear the words: ‘To All the Vietnam Veterans/Thank You and Welcome Home’. Volusia County Veterans Services Director Scott Olson said in the county’s release that he hopes for the wall to serve as a tool for education about the realities and service of America’s Vietnam soldiers. One of the individuals most responsible for the installation of the memorial wall is Robert ‘Bob’ Adkins, an Army veteran who was a sergeant in the Vietnam War. He took up the effort to have a memorial installed in Volusia County, drawing on his time as president of the Volusia Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA) Chapter 1048. Adkins obtained a $35,000 donation for the installation costs. “The Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 1048 is proud to have partnered with Volusia County to make this monument a reality,” Adkins said. “This wall will mean a great deal to the veterans who served and to the community that supports them, and we hope it stands as a lasting reminder of the sacrifices made by so many.” A series of speakers will be on-hand for the unveiling ceremony. These will include Florida Veterans Affairs Director James Hartsell, state Senator Tom Wright, state Representative Chase Tramont, Volusia County Councilman Jake Johansson, along with Adkins himself. The VVA Chapter 1048 will serve as Honor Guard, with music provided by the Coastal Florida Police & Fire Pipes & Drums.