Boise’s first Vietnam Veterans Memorial unveiled on Memorial Day

More than 500 people gathered in Veterans Memorial Park on Memorial Day for the unveiling of Boise’s first Vietnam Veterans Memorial.

Inscribed into the monument are the names of 217 Idahoans who died in Vietnam between 1961 and 1975.

The event featured several guest speakers, including Idaho National Guard Adjutant General Major Gen. Gary L. Sayler and Boise City Councilman TJ Thomson, who served in the Air Force. Thomson’s grandfather is a World War II veteran and his father is a Vietnam War veteran.

Local veterans spent months raising money to build the monument, which is made from the same Indian black granite as the Vietnam Veterans Memorial on the Capitol Mall in Washington D.C.

This story was originally published May 30, 2016 at 6:46 PM with the headline "Boise’s first Vietnam Veterans Memorial unveiled on Memorial Day."