The city of La Center is accepting tax-deductible donations to bring the American Veterans Traveling Tribute to Clark County. Donations can be dropped off or mailed to City Hall, 214 E. Fourth St., La Center, WA 98629.
Anyone interested in volunteering or co-sponsoring the event should contact police Chief Tim Hopkin at 263-2745.
Nearly 40 years have passed since Tim Hopkin served in the Vietnam War, but the La Center police chief is still missing a sense of closure. And he suspects veterans from other wars feel the same.
But this summer, that may change.
Hopkin, a group of community volunteers and the city of La Center are working together to bring the American Veterans Traveling Tribute to their community this August. And with it, they hope to bring healing for veterans and their loved ones and a sense of respect and pride for those who fought for their country.
The city of La Center is accepting tax-deductible donations to bring the American Veterans Traveling Tribute to Clark County. Donations can be dropped off or mailed to City Hall, 214 E. Fourth St., La Center, WA 98629.
Anyone interested in volunteering or co-sponsoring the event should contact police Chief Tim Hopkin at 263-2745.
“Thirty-six million people have fought for the U.S. since the Revolutionary War to give us our freedoms,” Hopkin said. “This is in honor of all of that.”
The main feature of the tribute is a replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. The replica, which stands about 8 feet tall and stretches for nearly 390 feet, is about 80 percent of the size of the memorial in Washington D.C. In addition, the tribute includes exhibits honoring those who died in other wars, from World War II to the present-day conflicts Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom.
The tribute will be on display for 24 hours a day Aug. 4-8 at La Center City Park, 100 E. Fourth St., the same park where the Little League fields are located.
Hopkin served during the Vietnam War with the Army’s 101st Airborne Division. During his tour overseas, Hopkin said he lost friends and fellow soldiers in combat. He has never visited the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
“I don’t know how I’m going to feel when I see the names of my friends or people I knew,” Hopkin said. “There’s never been that closure.”
The idea for the tribute event came when Hopkin’s wife ran into an old colleague at a local store. The woman mentioned she and her husband, Lynn Morett, were trying to find sponsors to bring the wall and exhibits to Clark County. Following the conversation between their wives, Hopkin and Morett met to drink a cup of coffee, swap Vietnam stories and discuss bringing the memorial to La Center.
From there, things moved quickly. The La Center City Council agreed to sponsor the event and Hopkin went to work making plans for the event and recruiting volunteers for a committee.
Bringing the wall to La Center won’t be cheap; it has a price tag of $9,750. Add in all of the other display necessities — tents, lights, security, counseling, hotel rooms for tribute employees — and Hopkin said the cost could reach $20,000 to $25,000. But Hopkin hopes organizations and community members will volunteer their time, supplies and skills to bring down the costs. He’s also turning to groups, individuals and businesses to donate money for the event.
Mayor Jim Irish, who is also a veteran, said the outpouring of support so far has been overwhelming. He has visited other Clark County cities to notify them of the event. La Center is just one of two Western cities slated to host the tribute this year; the other is Roseburg, Ore., he said.
Morett said he expects people from all across the state to travel to La Center this summer. Morett is the director of the American Legion Riders’ Harley H. Hall Chapter. He and hundreds of other riders will escort the tribute to the city, with Hall’s sister, Gwen Davis-Hall, serving as the grand marshal, Morett said. Hall was a Vancouver resident whose fighter jet was shot down just hours before the end of the Vietnam War. The U.S. government has declared Hall “presumed killed in action.”
Morett said he hopes people who attend the event leave with a better understanding of the cost of freedom.
“People take so much for granted,” Morett said, his voice quivering. “Freedom isn’t free. There’s a lot of lives lost, a lot of lives ruined, at war.”
Irish said his primary interest in bringing the wall and memorials to La Center is to give families and veterans a chance to heal. A sentiment echoed by Morett and Hopkin.
“What I hope to get out of it is that someone will have some sense of closure, either from personal experience or a family member,” Hopkin said. “Our park will be hallowed ground for those four or five days.”
Marissa Harshman: 360-735-4546 or marissa.harshman@columbian.com.
