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Vietnam War Statue’s Added Costs Rile Donors

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TIMES STAFF WRITER

A Vietnam War memorial to honor the collaboration of South Vietnamese and U.S. soldiers will be unveiled Sunday in Orange County’s Little Saigon, but organizers now say more money is needed to complete the project.

The 10-foot-tall, wax statue shows two men in military uniforms, standing side by side. It still must be bronzed, which will happen in November, said Craig Mandeville, a member of the executive committee. It will have a 5-foot-high concrete base.

Plans call for a computer display of soldier information and Vietnam War history about the two armies, U.S. and South Vietnamese, that together fought a bitter battle against Communist troops and lost in 1975. Hundreds are expected to view local artist Tuan Nguyen’s work, which will be on display through Oct. 7 at the Vietnamese Broadcasting Center at Magnolia and McFadden avenues in Westminster, organizers said. The event includes a film presentation of “The Soldiers In Our Eyes” and a guided exhibition.

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The public may view the statue Sunday from 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Times for the rest of the week are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

“People should go see it because it would heal us and bring us closer,” said Nancy Fontaine, a former member on the executive committee.

The idea, conceived two years ago by Westminster Mayor and World War II veteran Frank Fry Jr., united a fractured Vietnamese community, which supported the project so much that it raised most of the $530,000 in about a year. But observers said tensions later grew as community groups competed to claim credit for raising the money and City Council members angered the Vietnamese community by relocating the project away from City Hall. And now that the statue is near completion, Fry said an estimated $200,000 more is needed to erect it in a vacant lot across from the Westminster Civic Center.

“The money would’ve been sufficient had we not moved,” Fry said.

The higher price tag has enraged some contributors, most of whom are members of Orange County’s Vietnamese community.

“The price was $500,000 to build and that amount was raised, but now they need more money,” said Hoai My Vu, who volunteers on the project and co-hosts a Vietnamese language radio talk show. “This is such a big difference in price, so people are little bit upset and uncertain.”

Fry said the extra funds will improve the site where council members voted to put the statue. The field is about 65,000 square feet, full of holes and not level.

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The new site will allow the base of the project to expand from 30 feet to 50 feet in diameter. Committee members said additional money is needed for landscaping, a walkway, underground utilities and a microphone system.

“For those who worked so hard and dedicated $5 or $500, we want to show them that their money is well-spent,” Mandeville said. “And for those skeptics, we’re hoping to bring them along.”

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