Veterans unveil model of Lower Bucks Vietnam Memorial

By buckscountyherald.com

Local veterans organizations joined the unveiling of the Lower Bucks County Vietnam Memorial design on Veterans Day, Nov. 11, at Middletown Veterans Memorial Park, on Veterans Highway, Levittown, Middletown Township.

Ceremonies included the unveiling of a maquette of the sculpture being created by Abbe Godwin, a highly regarded creator of works memorializing members of the armed services. Godwin’s works include the Corpsman Memorial and the the Peacekeeper statue at the Beirut Memorial, both at Camp Lejeune in Jacksonville, N.C.; and the North Carolina Vietnam Veterans Memorial on the grounds of the state capitol in Raleigh.

Speakers included U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick and Dan Fraley, director of the Bucks County Department of Military and Veterans Affairs.

The full-size memorial is expected to be erected next fall at the park. A black granite block, part of a two-panel wall, will include 96 names of servicemen from Lower Bucks County, including 95 killed in action and one missing in action.
The finished version will be 10 feet by 10 feet and 5 to 6 feet tall. The second panel will display insignias of the five branches of the U.S. Armed Forces, and the Vietnam War service ribbon. A bronze sculpture of a Vietnam War soldier will be placed in front of the wall.

The anticipated $250,000 cost of the memorial will be funded by state and local grants, and through various fundraising efforts. Donations can be made atlbcvvm.org.

The Pennsylvania Vietnam Veterans Memorial Foundation, the major sponsor, is dedicated to raising funds for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, which will honor victims from Bensalem Township, Bristol Borough, Bristol Township, Falls Township, Hulmeville Borough, Langhorne Borough, Langhorne Manor Borough, Lower Makefield Township, Lower Southampton Township, Middletown Township, Morrisville Borough, Newtown Borough, Newtown Township, Northampton Township, Penndel Borough, Upper Makefield Township, Upper Southampton Township, and Wrightstown Township.

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