When most people think of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, they picture a tourist destination with ample sunshine, sandy beaches, and beautiful views of the Atlantic Ocean.
But soon Myrtle Beach will feature a more meaningful attraction city officials believe is long overdue – a Vietnam War memorial.
Last week, more than 500 curious residents of the oceanside southern hamlet attended a groundbreaking event for the new memorial, which will be in The Market Common at Warbird Park.
Entrance to the memorial will feature the words “Welcome Home,” a phrase many Vietnam veterans never heard upon returning from war more than five decades ago.
During construction, an 8-foot, multi-sided wall will be built, along with a reflecting pool and a memorial garden. The goal: to finish most of the work before this year’s Memorial Day weekend, according to The Post & Courier.
Long Overdue Welcome Home
Some of the project’s organizers spoke at the groundbreaking, including retired Air Force Col. Thomas “Buddy” Styers who shouted enthusiastically to many Vietnam veterans in attendance, “Welcome home, brothers, welcome home!”
“For those who don’t know what that means, it’s for all that they went through,” Styers said.
Styers, a Myrtle Beach resident, is the executive director of the Myrtle Beach Air Force Base Redevelopment Authority. Himself a Vietnam veteran, Styers can relate to the negativity many of his fellow soldiers faced when they came home. Styers returned to the U.S. in 1970 after serving a tour in Vietnam.
“I came home through the San Francisco airport at 1 o’clock in the morning. It was winter and I was in short sleeves,” Styers said. “Right around the corner there were (protestors) waiting for people in uniform. They were calling us names and worse. … It was the first time I’d ever seen men with long hair.”
Project Came Together Quickly
In 1992, Styers retired from the Air Force and in 1993, the Myrtle Beach Air Force Base closed. Styers took the lead in helping the dormant 114-acre former base transform into The Market Common, a vibrant residential and commercial hub. At the center of the district is Warbird Park, which already includes a World War II memorial, along with an exhibit of some of the aircraft previously housed at the old Air Force base.
“I knew we had to preserve the history of the Air Force and the military in Myrtle Beach,” he said, “and this is the one piece that has been missing.”
The city’s redevelopment group donated $600,000 to construct the memorial, and other local donors chipped in. The project has moved along quickly. Organizers started the planning phase early last year after receiving input from Myrtle Beach area veterans’ groups, which proved vital in moving the project along.
The project’s brisk execution impressed Meredith Denari, a city spokesperson, who told the Post & Courier that seeing the memorial develop from an idea to Wednesday’s groundbreaking in a year was a “true community effort.”
Memorial Features
Mike Lowder, a Myrtle Beach city council member, became emotional talking about the memorial to veterans in attendance.
“This is a small way for the city of Myrtle Beach to say, ‘Welcome home,’” Lowder said.
Jessica Wise, head architect for the project, said the memorial needed to showcase several themes.
“We wanted the memorial to be a place of visibility, remembrance, reflection, gratitude, storytelling and education,” she said.
The Vietnam memorial wall will be illuminated at night and will include images, engravings and statues. It will also include quotes from past presidents Jimmy Carter and Franklin Roosevelt. Stone benches will also be placed at the site to give people a chance to reflect on the sacrifices of the Vietnam War and connect with other visitors.
