Photo provided.

Over 27 years ago the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Union Township Veterans Memorial Park was dedicated.

From the day the Huey helicopter was placed on its final resting place by local Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 649, the memorial has attracted thousands of visitors to Union Township and has been the site of annual Veterans day and Memorial Day ceremonies to honor our veterans and remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country.

As time passed, more memorials were added through the fund-raising efforts of VAA Chapter 649 and assistance and donations from the community and Union Township. First came a monument to POW and MIA’s followed by one for the women who served, a black granite bench to honor Korean veterans, a monument to the dogs that served in Vietnam, the Order of the Silver Rose, the Gold Star Mothers, and the most recent for the Purple Heart recipients – erected by The Military Order of the Purple Heart Chapter 156.

Lying beneath the helicopter is a patio of 8,000 bricks – referred to as memorial pavers. There are about 2,000 pavers with inscriptions.

From day one, the sale of memorial pavers has provided funding for maintenance and upkeep of the helicopter and the surrounding memorials. Proceeds from the sale of the pavers is kept in reserve and goes exclusively toward the current and future maintenance of the memorials.

The helicopter has been repainted several times, benches have received new seats and lighting has been recently replaced with new LED fixtures, reducing the electric bill by fifty percent. Thanks to a grant received this year through Union Township for park improvements, the bricks were removed and replaced over a new concrete pad. This eliminated an erosion problem that was causing the bricks to be uneven. Union Township maintains the landscaping and cuts the grass.

Chapter 649 provides a brick locator on their website so donors and their families can locate their brick. Due to the recent construction, bricks that were purchased in 2019 may not have been placed and therefore are not yet included on the website locator. Installation of the pavers will occur as weather permits. The web address for the locator is www.vva649.org.

Due to increasing costs of the pavers and anticipated future maintenance costs, the price of the pavers will increase on May 1, from $30 to $50. Chapter 649 is providing four months’ notice so residents of the area may place their orders at the existing price before Memorial Day. Many families have included bricks for all family members, even their pets. Order forms are available on the chapter website along with locations in Clermont County where order forms are available, including the Union Township Civic center and at the memorial. Chapter 649 requires 60 to 90 days for manufacture and installation of the pavers.