The Texas Capitol Vietnam Veterans Monument will celebrate its Groundbreaking on March 24 and 25 in Austin with a special tribute to the Texans who died in the Vietnam War. All Texas Vietnam veterans are invited to attend the events which are free and open to the public.

On March 24 a Reading of the Names of the 3,417 Texans who died in Vietnam will be held at the Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library auditorium from 8:30 – 5:30. On the same day, the Texas Vietnam Heroes Exhibit of 3,417 hand-stamped dog tags honoring each Texan will open in the Great Hall of the LBJ Library. An evening reception for veterans and families will be held at6:00 p.m. at Austin’s historic Scholz Garten. The monument Groundbreaking Ceremony will take place on the Texas Capitol Grounds at 10:00 a.m. on March 25. Texan Joe Galloway will deliver the keynote address. Full information, including how to make reservations for the reception, is available at http://buildthemonument.org/groundbreaking-events.

The Texas Capitol Vietnam Veterans Monument will honor all Texans who served in the Vietnam War. The 3,417 Texas Heroes of the war will be individually remembered by the entombment of personalized dog tags bearing their name, rank, branch of service, hometown and date of loss. The tags will be dedicated for entombment during the Groundbreaking. The monument will be dedicated in the fall of 2013. Please visit www.buildthemonument.org to learn more about the Texas Capitol Vietnam Veterans Monument.