The Veterans Plaza of Northern Colorado was established 12 years ago to honor all past and
present service personnel who have served our country. Among the numerous features found at
the plaza are an amphitheater and stage, a stunning statue entitled “On Strong Shoulders,” a
Victory Garden that holds over 200 soil samples from various battle sites, cemeteries, and bases
around the world, and two interactive computer monitors with the names of veterans (any
veteran who has honorable served may be listed) and the other is educational.
Vietnam Wall
Each year, the Plaza holds an event during the Memorial Day weekend to honor a different group
of veterans. This year, as done three times in the past, the plaza will be bringing in the Traveling
Vietnam Wall to honor our Vietnam veterans. This wall is an 80% scale version of the Vietnam
Wall found on the Mall in Washington DC.
The Wall will arrive Thursday, May 25th at 11 am by motorcycle escort, assembled on May
26th, and remain open for viewing until Tuesday afternoon on the 30th. The whole weekend
centers around the main event on Sunday the 28th from 10 am to 4 pm. There will be displays,
booths of veteran oriented organizations, food vendors, and a field of 500 flags.
Sunday’s program includes keynote speaker Anthony Seahorn, author of “Tears of a
Warrior,” which is about his Vietnam combat experiences and dealing with PTSD after he
arrived home. The program begins with a color guard, flyover at 12:15 pm, intro of local
dignitaries, and new soil samples added to the victory garden. A color guard, honor guard,
prayer, and taps will be presented nightly from May 26th to 29th at 7:00 pm.
Please make plans to visit the wall and attend the ceremony, as you will find it to be a beautiful
and somber experience. The Plaza is located in Spring Canyon Park in west Fort Collins. To get there, simply head westbound on Horsetooth Road to the very end. Visit their website at
https://veteransplazanoco.org/ to learn more!