WAUSAU, Wis. (WSAU) — A local veterans group has donated money to a special veterans memorial project. The Montgomery, Plant, Dudley American Legion Post 10 in Wausau is contributing $3,000 to help the Hmong American Center build a memorial honoring Hmong veterans of the Vietnam war in Wausau.
The Community Foundation of North Central Wisconsin is running the Hmong Veterans Memorial Project. Their goal is to raise $240,000 for the memorial statue. The organizers have a commitment from an anonymous donor to match up to $100,000 if they can raise the funds by September 7th.
Many of the Hmong veterans moved to the U.S. after the war when communist forces took over their homeland. The Wausau area is now the third largest Hmong community in the country with nearly 7,000 vets and their families residing in the area.
The memorial is planned for the Marathon County Courthouse lawn.
Legion Post 10 officials say they helped U.S. forces in Vietnam, and a tribute to their service is long overdue.
