Repairs begin at Vietnam Memorial in D.C.

Repairs begin at Vietnam Memorial in D.C.

By Brett Zongker - The Associated Press
Posted : Wednesday Oct 21, 2009 11:48:39 EDT

WASHINGTON — Repair work was under way Wednesday at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial on the National Mall as a private memorial fund took over landscaping and maintenance of 13 acres from the National Park Service.

Over the next two weeks, workers are restoring the flagpole’s bronze finish and its decorative base with five military branch insignias. They will also restore the bronze finish for five stands that hold directories that help people find names on famous V-shaped memorial wall, which draws millions of visitors each year.

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, which built the memorial, also has repaired an irrigation system and is reseeding and sodding the grass.

Last month, the group announced plans to pay for maintenance at the site because of scarce funding from the federal government. They plan to raise more than $1 million to care for the memorial and grounds, including $500,000 to buy replacement granite if sections of the wall need to be replaced in the future.

“Everybody has the same goal: We want it to look good,” said fund spokeswoman Lisa Gough. “We want it to shine.”
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