ROTC Vietnam Memorial

After two years of preparations, the Vietnam memorial to honor nine Henderson ROTC graduates who died while serving their country was unveiled on Thursday, November 10, 2011. Alumni, family members, friends, and students gathered in the Garrison Center in front of the Day Gym for the special and emotional presentation of the memorial. During the presentation, alumni and veterans spoke about the nine; they expounded on the honors and awards the men had received, and the nine were recognized for their sacrifice for their country. For each of the nine veterans who lost their lives, a shadow box was hung with their medals and awards that they received while serving in the military. A large monument plaque was hung above the shadow boxes to recognize these men. Ronnie Echols, an ROTC graduate Henderson alumnus and First Lieutenant Vietnam veteran said, "I appreciate the sacrifices these men made, and even though I was only friends with one of the nine, I will always remember and respect them." Students showed their respect by painting the windows in the Garrison and decorating the hallway beside the memorial. The students' willingness to thank the veterans for their dedication were very inspiring to their country. "All the comments about the memorial were positive and encouraging, and it touched my heart to see that the students were making such positive remarks about the memorial," said Alumni Director Sherry Wright.

In 2009, the Alumni Association anticipated raising money for the memorial, but when they collected more than expected, Wright proposed a scholarship named after the veterans who died fighting in Vietnam. After receiving approval from Interim President Bobby Jones, Wright was granted permission to continue raising funds for this special scholarship. The initial goal was to raise $7,500 to cover the cost of the shadow boxes and monument. With an extended deadline, the grand total grew to $35,000. Wright said, "Some of the alumni have never showed interest in donating money before and it really touched my heart to see that so many people were willing to donate to the memorial." The Alumni Association began awarding the new scholarship in Spring 2012.