Seven years in the making, Salem’s Vietnam War memorial honors the losses of each Oregon city

Salem’s new Vietnam War Memorial is a quiet and peaceful place of its own, even with surrounding downtown construction.  

Secluded on the southwest corner of Willson Park, at Northeast Cottage and State Streets outside the Oregon State Capitol, the memorial’s tall black granite columns shield visitors from the street. 

A statue of a young male soldier in front of an American flag welcomes visitors stepping into the site. A large tree stands in the middle…