Photo by Clay Schuldt Cleo Polzin and her daughter, Mary Polzin, are accompanied by Army National Guard soldiers as they lay a wreath at the foot of the Vietnam Memorial in German Park. Cleo Polzin is the 94-year-old Gold Star mother of Henry Polzin who was killed in action in Vietnam. Henry’s name appears on the memorial alongside Dennis Wellmann, Daniel Lloyd, Henry Polzin, Timothy Sullivan, Steven Seemann and Rickey Slander.
NEW ULM — Nearly 50 years after the end of the Vietnam War, a memorial honoring the New Ulm servicemen killed in the war now stands in a place of prominence in German Park.
A special dedication ceremony was held Thursday to pay tribute to the six men: Dennis Wellmann, Daniel Lloyd, Henry Polzin, Timothy Sullivan, Steven Seemann and Rickey Slander.
The dedication ceremony was also to honor all Vietnam veterans and to illuminate the conflict in which they served. The dedication ceremony included several speeches honoring the veterans.
Following the unveiling of the monument, 94-year-old Cleo Polzin, the Gold Star mother of of Henry Polzin, and her daughter, Mary Polzin, placed a wreath near the monument.
The monument designer and writer, Rick Prescott, gave an explanation of the symbols behind the panels.
Prescott said the momument had three goals: honor the six young New Ulm men who died in Vietnam, remember all who served and offer a glimpse of the war.
The New Ulm Vietnam Veterans Memorial consists of two granite tablets, each freestanding, with no visible supports, to suggest strength and vulnerability. The panels are close together, in support of one another.
The tablets are made from Mesabi Granite, a Minnesota stone which features rich texture and veining. Prescott said the texture symbolizes the night sky, shared by all, near and far from home. The veins symbolize the imperfections of all human endeavors that lead to war.
The typeface used matches the National Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, DC. Each image engraved in the moument is taken from a photograph sent home by one of the New Ulm soldiers killed in action.
Adjacent to the monument, six granite benches have also been placed for family members, to serve as individual memorials for these lost men. Each bench contains an inscription written by the family.
The second panel directly addresses veterans and their families. It includes a quote from a 1982 letter written by then-Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger for the dedication of the National Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
Prescott said the quote represents the first official acknowledgement by the U.S. government that the country did not properly recognize the service of many of the soldiers when they returned from Vietnam. It is included in this monument to serve as a permanent and long overdue “Welcome home” to all who served.
The final two panels of the memorial contain a brief narrative description of the war which was commissioned specifically for this monument.
Prescott said in writing it this description, he knew it would never be complete.
“No summary could ever capture the nuances of a war which lasted 20 years and affected millions of lives,” he said. “It is hoped that a visitor to this park 100 years from now, perhaps knowing little, if anything, about the war in Vietnam, might stop to read the story, appreciate the sacrifices of all who fought for their freedom, and seek out more information elsewhere.”
The final panel includes a map of Vietnam as it was during the war. The major cities are noted, as well as other features and locations of significance, with the hope that veterans can approach the monument, point to places which hold meaning for them, to share a small part of their experience with others.
Prescott closed by saying, “May it be that, through the creation of this memorial, the six soldiers killed in action, along with all those who served with them, are given a new and permanent voice that will speak to visitors of German Park, and the community of New Ulm, long into the future.”
Retired U.S. Army Maj. John Donovan also spoke during the dedication.
“They say that time heals all wounds, but I’m not sure that time will ever heal the wound of losing a child, spouse or loved one,” He said. “Instead I think the pain subsides enough to allow us to cherish their memory, honor their lives and to remember.”
Donovan said it was important to remember those who served in Vietnam, because many were denied the homecoming soldiers from his generation enjoyed.
The final speaker was Bruck Lambrecht, the original donor behind the memorial. Lambrecht said the project was a labor of love. He wanted the all Vietnam veterans and their families to know that the the memorial was as much for them as anyone else.
“Your service and support, whether small or large, means a lot and is deeply appreciated.”
He hoped the monument would serve to honor those who served and always proclaim a warm “Welcome home.”
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October 14, 2022 at 01:07PM
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Lasting tribute: Welcomes Vietnam vets, honors memory of fallen - NUjournal
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