Vietnam Veterans Memorial Celebrates All Who Served on Veterans Day

ANGEL FIRE, N.M.—Rebecca Harris was not part of the Vietnam generation, but she admired the valor of those who served and felt compassion for their mistreatment upon returning home.

Twenty years ago, Harris lost her Marine brother-in-law in Iraq. Through this loss, she came to understand that honor and love for country often require painful sacrifice.

On Veterans Day, building on this deep respect, Harris, a homeschool mom from Las Vegas, New Mexico, led students to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Angel Fire for a service honoring all who wore the uniform.

“I wanted the kids to have a memorable experience and to understand patriotism and war—especially the Vietnam War,” Harris said.

Nestled among the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, the memorial stands as a quiet sanctuary. It is a 24-hour spiritual home for all who served in the military.

From sunrise to sunset, veterans of all ages gather there to reflect, mourn, and seek solace within the sacred walls of the chapel.

Here, sacrifice takes shape. It appears in faded photographs, gleaming medals, worn dog tags, and treasured war relics.

“If you don’t feel something when you arrive on the site, you’re not in the right place,” said memorial staff member Ernie Sutliff.

It was the first monument in the United States dedicated to Vietnam veterans, having been established in 1971.

In 1968, 1st Lt. David Westphall and his entire unit lost their lives in an ambush. Following this, Dr. Victor Westphall and his wife Jeanne Westphall selected these 34 acres to honor their son and all Vietnam veterans.

Each year, an estimated 75,000 veterans come to pay tribute to the fallen.

“Every event that we hold here at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial is in honor,” said Cemetery Memorial Bureau Chief David Walker.

“So, yes, this has a lot of significance to the Vietnam veterans.”

He added it is a sanctuary of healing for all veterans burdened by war’s trauma.

“They grieve together. They share their stories and camaraderie,” Walker told The Epoch Times.

“Part of the healing process is being around people who you know shared the same experiences, the same love, the same grief, fought the same battles, and share the same demons,” he said.

The site first captured national attention during the 1970s. This recognition inspired the creation of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, which was dedicated in 1982.

On this ground stands a smaller version of “the Wall” near the Peace and Brotherhood Chapel, where photos of David Westphall and 12 unit members are displayed and rotated monthly by state and alphabet.

In 1987, Congress officially recognized the memorial in Angel Fire as a memorial of national significance.

Unforgettable Huey

A UH-1D Huey helicopter that flew with the 121st Assault Helicopter Company, among the first to lay down smoke in Vietnam, is on display on the memorial grounds.

In 1967, during a rescue operation, this helicopter was hit by 135 bullets and badly damaged. It has been on display at the memorial since 1999.

Called the Viking Surprise, the UH-1D is a type of Bell UH-1 Iroquois. It became an important symbol of the war and was used to carry soldiers, weapons, and supplies.

According to the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum, at least 7,000 of the helicopters were deployed to Vietnam, and most service members who served in that conflict flew on a Huey at some point.

“The distinctive whomp-whomp sound of the rotor blades is ingrained in the memory of every Vietnam veteran,” a Smithsonian statement reads.

That sound is part of their story.

Sutliff said the Huey’s distinct sound triggers memories and feelings. For soldiers, it was a lifeline in combat and when leaving the battlefield.

“It was their ticket home for a lot of them,” Walker said.

When Saigon fell in April 1975, Hueys were vital transport for soldiers and civilians.

“Hueys saved many lives and raised Vietnam veterans’ survival rates,” Walker told The Epoch Times.

“You knew when it was coming. It was like a cavalry trumpet when you were down in the jungle. You heard those rotor blades and knew it was coming for support.”

Thanking All Vets For Their Service

This year’s Veterans Day service celebrated the 250th birthday of the Marine Corps and marked 50 years since Saigon’s fall.

Walker said the memorial service was a way to say thank you across all branches of the military.

“This is a place of remembrance and healing for all veterans, no matter their war,” he said.

Reflecting on the day’s lessons, Rebecca Harris said her goal for the 14 students from the Christian homeschool family fellowship was to expose them to the realities of war and its aftermath.

For her, that reality is deeply personal.

On Sept. 3, 2006, Marine Lance Cpl. Shane Harris—her brother-in-law, age 22—was killed in Iraq.

Her sorrow spans generations, embracing Vietnam veterans who endured a hostile homecoming.

“My heart really goes out to them just because of what I experienced as a patriotic American seeing the wars that America has been a part of in those years,” Harris told The Epoch Times.

“It saddens me that they were not well received and that it was such a debated war.”

Skip Saurman, a Vietnam veteran from Santa Fe, joined the army in the early 1970s and served in its security agency.

He feels the same way about the war as he did all those years ago, telling The Epoch Times: “I would go back and do it again.

“We went to war. We had a cause. We had something to fight for. We knew what we were doing.

“We got there and in a very short time everything changed.”

Now, the scene was a battleground—a slow-burning, high-stakes contest where survival meant watching your friend’s back at every turn.

“There are a lot of things that bring back memories,” Saurman said.

“Sometimes, you don’t even know what they are. But something just hits you, and it comes back.”

He returns to the Angel Fire memorial five times a year to confront the harsh truths of war: its devastation, sorrow, and unyielding presence.

“Sure, we should live in utopia—but it ain’t gonna happen. As long as there are two people on Earth, there’s going to be war,” Saurman said.