Chapter 88 of the Vietnam Veterans of America is raising money to build a memorial in Tower Park, located in Fort Thomas, to honor Campbell County Vietnam Veterans who died during the war.
“My objective is to honor the young men that died serving their country, not to say I don’t want to honor everyone who served in Vietnam, it’s very close to my heart,” said Ron Allari said, the president of the Vietnam Veterans of America’s Chapter 88.
Allari served for 21 years in the military among special forces, aviation and engineering units from late 1964 until he retired in 1986. While serving in Vietnam, he commanded units and flew helicopters and fixed wings. Because of his career in the military and as a Vietnam Veteran, he said he often looks for memorials that honor those who died in the war and noticed Campbell County did not have one, so he got to work with his chapter to start searching for a spot to put it.
“I have seen this numerous times, but one particular time, I saw this young man, and someone saw his Vietnam Veteran hat on and thanked him, and he looked down like someone had called him a name and continued on,” Allari said. “I wanted to say to him, ‘Be proud of your service. You did the job your country asked you to do.’ That was a real eye-opener for me.”
Chapter 88 initially addressed the Campbell County Fiscal Court in April 2022 to get the 35 names of county residents who died on a monument. Allari said Campbell County Commissioner Brian Painter and Assistant County Administrator Kim Serra helped to get the ball rolling on the project.
Allari toured a spot at Robert J. Barth Park behind Cracker Barrel in Cold Spring and Tower Park in the Memorial Garden Loop, and then, the chapter took a vote and landed on the Fort Thomas location.
The proposed monument has three panels, two five-foot side panels, and a six-foot panel in the middle made of black granite. Rolf Monument in Newport is commissioning the pieces.
There will be benches on each side and a picnic table nearby to sit and enjoy the memorial. People can also purchase granite memorial pavers that will go on the ground in front of the monument with a desired message.
Donors of various levels, from $500 to $10,000, will be engraved on the back of the monument.
Before working on the Campbell County Memorial, Chapter 88 helped maintain the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Erlanger. Through that, Allari worked with Fort Thomas City Administrator Matthew Kremer, who was the Erlanger City Administrator at the time. Kremer is a veteran, serving two tours in Iraq, and his father is a Vietnam Veteran in the chapter with Allari.
“I like working with Ron; he’s very passionate about Vietnam Veterans and making sure they get recognized, and I was in the position to be able to help facilitate that,” Kremer said. “We had an excellent spot, and our park just needed something extra. It was just kind of a perfect fit for what we wanted to do in that area.”
Kremer said it’s a big deal for the monument to be in Fort Thomas.
“Something that’s dedicated to the Vietnam Veterans who have definitely been mistreated, compared to other wars for a bunch of political reasons, but I think Vietnam Veterans are finally starting to understand what they mean to all of us,” he said.
Allari said the target date to get the memorial up is March 29, 2024, which is Vietnam Veterans Day. He will be giving a presentation on the project at the Nov. 1 Campbell County Fiscal Court meeting.
Those wishing to donate can do so by cash or check or purchasing a paver. Donations can be mailed to the Vietnam Veterans America Chapter 88 Memorial Fund. PO box 188 Alexandria Ky, 41001.
