Veterans and their families will gather today in Nichols Park in Jacksonville to rededicate a monument thereby finishing a long-overdue recognition.
The Morgan County Vietnam War Memorial is the centerpiece of the Vietnam Veterans Grove memorial across from the pavilion in Nichols Park.
The memorial was dedicated in March of 1975. sometime later a gray tablet was added to the black marble stone memorial listing the names of the 13 men who died in the Vietnam War from Morgan County.
The monument was dedicated on Memorial Day in 1993 however the date of the dedication was left off of the monument. 29 years later, the date of May 31st, 1993 has been added and the memorial will be rededicated this afternoon.
The 13 Gold Star families have been invited to take part in the ceremonies scheduled this afternoon and hosted by Jacksonville AmVets Post 100. The Jacksonville Community Band will accompany the event and members of the Gold Star families will be escorted by current active duty military personnel.
The event is free and open to the public and organizers say it will last approximately one hour so bringing lawn chairs is recommended.
The re-dedication of the Morgan County Vietnam War Memorial will begin at 2:00 o’clock this afternoon at the Vietnam Veterans Grove in Nichols Park.