The National Vietnam War Museum Gardens
The National Vietnam War Museum Meditation Garden was the first of six memorial gardens to be constructed on the site of The National Vietnam War Museum.
These gardens provide a living memorial to honor the lives of those veterans who served in the Vietnam War. It offers a place for serenity and peace where veterans, their families, and the public can walk, sit quietly, relax, reflect, unwind or talk with each other.
The garden was designed by members of the Parker County Master Gardener Association. It contains multiple pathways, including two unique circular labyrinths, and more than 350 native and adapted plants that require a minimum amount of water and maintenance. The garden also contains a gazebo, three flagpoles, seating for visitors, an assortment of memorial stones, metal plaques, and some memorial bricks placed alongside a path in the garden.
The pathways, lined with native stones and filled with decomposed granite, provide a reasonably smooth surface that allows people with disabilities to enjoy the garden. The spaces between the stones contain plants that are installed at intervals of 2 to 3 feet.
These spaces allow for installation of memorial plaques, tablets, and monuments.
The labyrinth design was chosen for the Meditation Garden to encourage visitors to slow down, contemplate the present, meditate, and enjoy their journey through the labyrinth.
This garden will also provide a quiet place where people from all over our country can gather for special events such as weddings, anniversvmg5aries, and reunions.
The Contemplation Garden was the second garden built on the museum site. It contains a Vietnam-era Huey helicopter mounted high in the air, a unique set of OH-23 rotor blades with dedication plaques, and a covered bench. The original wall of Camp Holloway near headquarters of the post in Pleiku, South Vietnam was destroyed. A replica of this wall was built by members of the 52nd Combat Aviation Battalion and members of the Friends of the Museum in this garden.
The garden is filled with plants and trees selected and planted according to the design prepared by the Parker County Master Gardeners. A pathway of decomposed granite allows visitors to access the Wall and other features in the garden. An international orange windsock flies in front of the UH-1. Learn the history of the windsock at the Museum.
The National Vietnam War Museum organization is in the middle of a $1 million fundraising campaign to build a two-story facility with 18,000 square feet of space. The first floor will have 10,000 sq. ft. to house three major galleries: Introduction, The Home Front, and the stories of Camp Wolters and Fort Wolters.
More information is available on our website: www.NationalVnWarMuseum.org
For Additional news stories on this memorial garden: Please read this article written by Terry Evans of the National Vietnam War Museum published in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.