Memorial Story
The Wall
On July 7, 1988, the design submitted by Hien Bguyen, a refugee who left South Vietnam thirteen years earlier, was unveiled. Hien’s design contains a 200-foot diameter open-air pavilion, inside of which are 366 black granite panels.
Biography Project: Wall of Faces
One of the NJVVMM’s most important projects is collecting biographical information on the men and women whose names are listed on the Memorial.
Memorial History
The New Jersey Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial and the Vietnam Museum & Educational Center are companion projects that complement one another. The Memorial honors the sacrifices made by New Jersey residents who gave their lives while serving in Southeast Asia …
The Last Patrol
It all began with an idea about honor and coming home. The Last Patrol, a group of 15 New Jersey Vietnam Veterans and three Nurses who served in Vietnam traveled over 200 miles from the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington D.C. to the future site of the NJVVMM.
Their goal was to bring their fallen brothers and sister back home to New Jersey while raising awareness about the state’s Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial. The group marched from May 13 through 27, stopping at township memorials along the way to honor their fallen brothers and sisters.
The Patrol began two weeks earlier, in Washington D.C. as members of the group and volunteers made rubbings of the 1,486 known New Jerseyans on the Memorial. Placed in a box, these were attached to Henry Rossi’s wheelchair for the trip home.
A highly decorated group, there were 24 Purple Hearts among to the members of the Patrol. Walking between 19 and 23 miles per day, the group spent their nights eating at local VFW posts and resting in local hotels.
As a direct result of their dedication, passion and respect, the New Jersey Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial was successfully funded and dedicated on May 7, 1995. May 7, 2015 marked our 20th Anniversary.
Architect of the Memorial
Hien Nguyen, a native of Vietnam, is the designer of the New Jersey Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial. He came to the United States as a college student in the last days of the war. He fled his homeland in 1975, days before the city of Saigon fell to the Communist forces from the North. His family was separated in the last frantic days, but was later reunited in the United States. Today Nguyen, a naturalized citizen, lives in Old Bridge, New Jersey.
After completing his education at Virginia Polytechnic Institute in 1980, Hguyen became an architect. His design for the open-air memorial was selected from over 400 submitted for consideration. The only requirements given to the architects for the memorial was that it must include the names of all those killed in action or listed as missing in action from New Jersey.
A quiet man who shies away from the limelight created the Memorial, Nguyen is committed to the memory of the soldiers who gave their lives for his homeland.
When Nguyen was awarded $5,000 from the selection of his design, he designated that the money be used to help the National League of POW-MIA Families and the Pearl S. Buck Foundation for Amerasian children.
Sculptor of the Memorial
Nationally known for his portraits and figures in bronze, Thomas Jay Warren of Trenton was selected from among many artists to create the three bronze statues that stand at the center of the Memorial.
Warren, a native of Mississippi, was schooled in fine arts and sculpture at Mississippi State College. He later studied at Johnson Atelier Sculpture Institute in Hamilton Township, New Jersey. He was an instructor at Johnson Atelier, teaching portrait and figure modeling.
His sculptures range from life-size to monumental. Warren has created statues of such well known men as Martin Luther King, Jr., for the Newark City Hall and Medgar Evers for a memorial to the slain civil rights leader in Jackson, Mississippi, as well as a marble relief piece of George Washington at Washington’s Crossing, New Jersey.
Warren was commissioned to design three over-sized statues for the Memorial. Cast in bronze, they represent the soldiers who were wounded or killed in Southeast Asia, the women who served and all those who eventually came home.
Other Memorials
In Memory Program
In Memory is a unique program that honors New Jersey men and women who served…
Vietnamese American Memorial
In April 2016, the Vietnamese American Monument was dedicated adjacent to the Vietnam Museum &…
Purple Heart Memorial
In 2010, the Military Order of the Purple Heart from Jersey City, NJ presented the…
Women Veterans Meditation Garden
On Veterans Day 2001, the Women Veterans Meditation Garden was dedicated adjacent to the Vietnam…
US War Dogs Memorial
Since World War I, tens of thousands of dogs have served in the United States…
NJ Gold Star Family Memorial
In September 2015, the NJ Gold Star Family Monument was dedicated adjacent to the Vietnam…