HOUSE MEMORIAL 16

46th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - second session, 2004

INTRODUCED BY

Roberto J. Gonzales

A MEMORIAL

REQUESTING THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS TO STUDY THE FEASIBILITY OF ESTABLISHING A NATIONAL CEMETERY AT THE VIETNAM VETERANS NATIONAL MEMORIAL IN ANGEL FIRE.

     WHEREAS, Victor Westphall, along with his wife Jeanne and younger son Douglas, began building a memorial shortly after his son Victor David Westphall was killed in Vietnam in 1968; and

     WHEREAS, they employed the services of Ted Luna to design a structure with gentle curves, more a sculpture than a conventional building; and

     WHEREAS, the memorial is an enduring symbol not only of the tragedy of David's death but of the tragedy and futility of war; and

     WHEREAS, since its opening in 1971, the memorial has gained in attention, and visitors now number about seventy thousand annually; and

     WHEREAS, the memorial was the first memorial dedicated to all Vietnam veterans; and

     WHEREAS, New Mexico is proud to be the home of this distinguished and distinctive symbol;

     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that the United States department of veterans affairs be requested to study the feasibility of establishing a national cemetery at the Vietnam veterans national memorial in Angel Fire; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be transmitted to the secretary of the United States department of veterans affairs and the New Mexico congressional delegation.

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