Half-Scale Replica of Vietnam War Memorial Comes to Hawthorne

A half-scale replica of the Vietnam War Memorial in Washington will go on display in Hawthorne Sunday to commemorate the end of the war 10 years ago.

City officials expect thousands of Vietnam veterans and their families to turn out to see the replica, which will be on display 24 hours a day through Aug. 18 in Hawthorne Memorial Park at El Segundo Boulevard and Prairie Avenue.

Created by the Vietnam Combat Veterans Limited, a nonprofit organization based in San Jose, the memorial model is 250 feet long and 6 feet tall at its highest point. It is made of black panels inscribed with the names of the more than 58,000 Vietnam War dead.

John Devitt, a member of the organization and one of three Vietnam veterans who conceived the idea to build the model, said tens of thousands of people have viewed the replica in four states since January. After the Hawthorne showing, the model will go to Alaska for display, he said.

Devitt said the idea behind the model is to honor those who fought in the war and bring the spirit of the Vietnam War Memorial to those unable to travel to Washington.

The exhibit is being sponsored by the Hawthorne Veterans Council, a group representing the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the American Legion and World War I veterans.