The Covington Vietnam Fallen Memorial has officially relocated. The City of Covington honored 31 of its native sons, fallen in the Vietnam War, at a new memorial located in Latonia at the intersection of 38th and Church streets, and Decoursey Avenue. These 31 men were forever memorialized on a bronze plaque.
“They never lost sight of their commitment to honor these 31 young men from our city who gave their all,” Covington Mayor Joe Meyer said. “This memorial is a beautiful and moving tribute to those men.”
Covington-based veterans organizations such as American Legion Post 203 and Marshall-Schildmeyer VFW Post 6095, as well as others members of the Covington Vietnam Fallen Memorial Committee, helped organize the project.
The old memorial was located behind Meinken Field on Eastern Avenue. It consisted of a flagpole, a rock, and a plaque. The new memorial serves as a place of reflection for those who served.
Designed by Bill Baston, the new Vietnam memorial is a place where people can sit and reflect. The “blood trail” of red-colored pavers leads to a plaque with the names of the fallen. It’s bordered by small, raised stones and landscaped with flower stands and shrubbery. It includes flagpoles, lights, granite benches, and small granite towers topped with the service medallions of the nation’s military branches.
Covington native Denny Madden was involved with the planning of the new memorial. Madden knew 10 of the 31 memorialized men while growing up in Covington. While Madden himself did not serve in the Vietnam War, his brother William Madden did in 1967 and 1968. William Madden passed away in 1975 from cancer related to Agent Orange use.
Madden said local businesses funded much of the work to create the new memorial. In addition, the Kentucky Department of Veterans Affairs donated $10,000 and the memorial committee sold 560 pavers for $35, engraved with family’s names or names to honor veterans.
Chuck Wills, an Army veteran who served in Vietnam from 1969 to 1970, received both the Silver Star and the Bronze Star for valor in combat. Wills said the memorial will be an important place for the families of the men whose names are on the plaque.
Wills knew several of the young men when he attended Holmes High School in Covington.
“We are so proud of how this turned out, and we think the families will love it,” Wills said. “The families needed a place where they can come and have their thoughts and be proud of what their sons have done.”
Wills was 19 when he enlisted in the U.S. Army. He underwent basic training at Fort Dix, N.J., and then shipped out to Vietnam with the 25th Infantry Division. Until he enlisted, he’d never traveled outside of Kentucky, Ohio, or Indiana.
Wills, who helped lead the effort for the new memorial, gives much of the credit for its relocation and expansion to Madden.
“For a guy who’s not a veteran, he has given more time and effort than anyone,” Wills said. “He’s done so much legwork for this.”
Madden is equally gracious, acknowledging the many who donated their time and talents to the project and the companies who donated money. He said the City’s help was instrumental.
“We couldn’t have done it without the City, without Mayor Joe Meyer and the City Commissioners,” Madden said.
