Memorials across the country often find special ways to honor fallen veterans. The Kentucky Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Frankfort makes sure veterans are honored every day.
Since Veterans Day 1988, a sundial has highlighted each veteran listed at the memorial. On the anniversary of each veteran’s death, the tip of its shadow touches the engraved name of every veteran etched onto a large blue-gray granite plaza.
The sundial was designed by the late Helm Roberts, who won a design contest hosted by the Kentucky Vietnam Veterans Memorial in the late 1980s. Roberts, a veteran, received the 2003 Sawyer Dialing Prize from the North American Sundial Society (NASS) for his work.
“(Helm) designed the memorial so every day is Memorial Day for a Kentucky Vietnam Veteran,” according to the Kentucky Vietnam Veterans Memorial. “It is a masterpiece of design, mathematics, history, honor and beauty.”
On Friday, members of the NASS got to see the sundial up close when they visited the memorial as part of the organization’s 31st annual conference, held June 25 to 28 in Louisville, Ky.
‘Dynamic Recognition’
For Ret. Maj. Gen. (Ret.) Michael W. Davidson, the memorial carries a personal connection.
Davidson, president of the Kentucky Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, Inc., entered the Army in August 1969 in the midst of the Vietnam War. He served until July 2001, primarily in Special Forces and Ranger units. He spent the final six years of his career at the Pentagon.
He said the sundial presents a daily tribute to the 1,110 Kentuckians who lost their lives in Vietnam from 1962-1975. More than 125,000 Kentucky residents served in the war.
“It’s a dynamic recognition every day based on the movement of celestial bodies,” Davidson told Military.com.
While building a sundial is a rare way to honor fallen veterans, Davidson said other memorial organizations could follow suit, but the design must be the right fit for the organization and its surrounding community.
“(The) design is an intensely individual decision by each group,” Davidson said. “We encourage by example but do not interfere with the design decision process by other groups.”
The tribute is one of the largest granite memorials in the U.S., containing 327 custom panels weighing more than 215 tons. Memorial officials used the same carving style seen at Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, D.C. to memorialize the names and dates of each veteran.
The Kentucky memorial was constructed in the late ‘80s, when honoring Vietnam veterans wasn’t as common as it is today.
“The memorial was built through the leadership, resolve and perseverance of Vietnam veterans at a time when many people were deaf to the need for such a tribute,” according to the memorial’s website.
The sundial is a prime attraction in the Bluegrass State, becoming one of the most visited landmarks in Kentucky for teachers and students, civic groups, tour groups and veterans. Visitors can see the memorial at any time of year.
Other similar sundials exist across the United States. One in Indianapolis, Ind., was erected in 1951 to honor the entire U.S. Armed Forces. The Anthem Veterans Memorial in Arizona, while not a traditional time-telling sundial, features five marble pillars that represent all U.S. military branches and at exactly 11:11 a.m. annually on Veterans Day, sunlight hits perfectly to illuminate the Great Seal of the United States.
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