Đà Nẵng Air Base,
South Vietnam . .
.
Uplifted
Wings Memorial
to fallen Airmen
by: Don Poss
Đà Nẵng, 1966
There were no U.S. Air Force Bases in Vietnam--only South Vietnam Air Bases. In early 1966, the Vietnamese Đà Nẵng Air Base commander approved a Memorial to Fallen Airmen, U.S. and South Vietnamese.
From
my tent compound, I had watched construction of the monument for a few
weeks, which was pretty fast considering the bureaucracy necessary to
accomplish anything.
For a major dedication ceremony, attendance was poor. True, there were flags, banners, spotlights sweeping a starry night sky, bonfires, civilians standing around ...
... someone got a medal, and a Vietnamese civilian gave a speech which
no one applauded. When it was over, the crowd faded quietly into the
night.
The memorial, Uplifted
Wings, was touted as an eternal flame ...
... but sometime during that dedication night,
... the flame went out ...
and ...
... was never
... re-lit.
