Fruita Press

 A Brother's Vietnam Memorial - Article, Rocky Mountain News, November 8, 2003
 Memorial Dedication on July 4th - Article, Fruita Times, July 3, 2003
 They Built It, You Can Come - Editorial, Fruita Times, July 3, 2003
 Vietnam Vets Honored in Emotional Ceremony - Article, Daily Sentinel, July 5, 2003
 Fruita’s Vietnam Memorial Helps Heal Long-Hidden Wounds - Letter from Bill Wagner, Daily Sentinel, July 17, 2003
 Fruita Residents Made Sure Vietnam Veterans Were Welcome - Letter from Ken Mayberry, Daily Sentinel, July 24, 2003
 Western Slope Vietnam War Memorial Foundation


A Brother's Vietnam Memorial
by Joe Garner, Rocky Mountain News
November 8, 2003

FRUITA - Is the helicopter landing?

Or taking off?

The nose of the Huey helicopter is down, suspended in time as the centerpiece of the new Western Slope Vietnam War Memorial. The workhorse aircraft of that divisive war has been positioned so it could be coming in or lifting away.

"In my mind, it's already rescued and it's taking off," said Jim Doody, 49, who first conceived of the memorial as a tribute to his brother, Tom Doody, killed at age 22 flying a Huey on a combat mission in 1971.

The memorial also is a tribute to the friendship Tom Doody shared with his Grand Junction flying buddy, Marshall Davis. Davis served in Vietnam as a grunt on the ground only to die in a civilian helicopter crash in 1986 at age 37.

"The memorial is uplifting to me," Jim Doody said. "It's embracing."

Still, visitors to the monument wonder about the chopper. If it could roar free from its static display, is it arriving or leaving? As the unpopular war recedes into history, is this a greeting or a farewell? A beginning or an end?

Some Vietnam veterans in western Colorado see it as a sign they have been welcomed back, finally. They feel it represents acceptance into the life of a nation reawakened to patriotism by the terror of Sept. 11, 2001.

"My idea is, the helicopter is coming in to land," said Ron "Doc" Ross, 65, who carries the wounds of two tours as a Marine medical corpsman in Vietnam.

"He's coming home."

Home was Grand Junction.

They were two boys growing up in the '50s and early '60s, when Vietnam was a French colony that morphed into an American crusade against communism.

Tom Doody and Marshall Davis were members of the Class of 1967 at Central High School. They shared friendship, the great outdoors of western Colorado and a passion for flying. Tom was the extrovert, the fourth of seven children in an Irish Catholic family; Marshall was not timid but quieter, a brother with two sisters.

Tom Doody and Davis shared a vision of the future.

"Their dream was to fly skiers from Walker Field (the Grand Junction airport) to Aspen and Vail, which was pretty innovative for two boys," said Jim Doody.

Pals were inseparable

They enrolled at what was then Rangely Junior College to earn associate degrees and pilot licenses.

Then they joined the Army.

"I've always heard they were best friends who grew up together and were inseparable," said Chad Davis, 25, the second of Marshall Davis' three children.

Chad Davis was 9 when his father died flying an ambulance helicopter in Oregon, 15 years after Tom Doody crashed in Laos. Chad Davis has only a boy's memory of the father he lost.

"One thing the memorial has done is to bring this all up for me," he said. "I've learned more about my father because this has come up. Still, there's a lot more I'd like to know about my father."

Marshall Davis escorted Tom Doody's casket home to Grand Junction for a military burial and then returned to Vietnam.

Jim Doody remembers the last time he saw Davis: "A year to the day later, he brought my mom some flowers and visited with her for an hour."

One day during the five years Doody was raising money for the memorial, Chad Davis introduced himself. The young man attended the dedication of the memorial on the Fourth of July and met other members of the Doody family afterward at a barbecue, reconnecting the bond between the two families.

"The memorial is important to me because it's a piece of history, and of my father," Davis said. "But it almost hurts more now because I cannot connect to him as an adult. If he was alive now, I could hear all the stories from him."

Honoring those who served

Most people visit the memorial during daylight hours because it stands adjacent to the Colorado Welcome Center just off Interstate 70. But many who seek its solace come at night, when floodlights color the flags and military insignia.

"This is just for the guys," said Ken Crooks, 77, who was a Marine on Iwo Jima in World War II and a visitor to the memorial a few fall days ago. "Once a Marine, always a Marine. I feel that way, I really do."

A thousand programs were printed for the July 4 dedication because no one knew how many people might come. The audience grew to 5,000.

"We had a hell of a crowd, and there wasn't a dry eye," said Grand Junction Mayor Jim Spehar, 57.

"It has probably taken this long to put aside the differences of the Vietnam era and to commemorate the sacrifice and service of the men and women in the military, no matter how you felt about the Vietnam War," the mayor said.

The memorial's highest level is inscribed with the names of those killed in action or missing. On lower levels are the names of other service members from that era and of contributors toward the memorial.

Kim Wiarda, 54, who was then a college student with a high draft lottery number and war protester, contributed to have his name on a brick at the base.

"I didn't believe in the war at that time, and I still think it was an unjustified war," said Wiarda, a Grand Junction contractor. "But I have no problem honoring the men and women who served."

Crooks said he came from his home in Grand Junction, about 12 miles east, to visit the memorial the first time on the day after the dedication

"I'd heard about it, and I just wanted to see it," he said. "There are a lot of Marines here."

A ceremony is set at the memorial for next Saturday, when a time capsule will be dedicated. Included will be a history of how the $650,000 memorial was built, Jim Doody's dream realized, largely with donations of time, labor and money. The time capsule is to be opened in 2053.

"My daughter is 23," Jim Doody said. "She will only be 73 when she opens it."

Time hasn't healed pain

The new memorial, with the helicopter fixed in flight, flags waving, hasn't ended the conflict that some Vietnam veterans feel.

"Almost all the veterans I talk to appreciate the memorial, but it's still very painful for them," said Gerald Mitchell, a clinical social worker at the Veterans Administration Medical Center in Grand Junction. "For them, going to the dedication ceremony was like stabbing themselves in the eye. It took all the energy they could muster."

Even in 2003, up to 10 Vietnam veterans, typically men in their 50s and 60s, came to the hospital's mental health clinic to introduce themselves for the first time, to seek help in facing the demons of long-ago combat, Mitchell said.

Many Vietnam veterans live in the vast emptiness of western Colorado and eastern Utah, but are tethered to the Grand Junction hospital.

"There are significant differences between Vietnam veterans and other veterans," the therapist said. "I think that, in order to fight for their country and to see the horrors of war, they have to be morally upheld by the people of their country. The Vietnam veterans came home to a country that did not morally uphold them in the war, so they were left with the horrors of their own conscience."

Struggles of war reprised

"Other than the Civil War, there's never been a war that divided the country like the Vietnam War," said Ross, the one-time Marine medical corpsman. He volunteers at the Grand Junction VA hospital to help other veterans with the paperwork to claim their benefits.

"Thirty years later, 9-11 woke up America that this is not a safe haven. We are not an island, but we are part of the world community," Ross said. "The American people have begun to realize the worth of military personnel again."

He believes the nation has changed in its regard for those who served in Vietnam.

"Vietnam veterans are popular. People want to be Vietnam veterans. It's a 360-degree change," Ross said. "Thirty years ago, even 20 years ago, it would have been an Alice-in-Wonderland fantasy."

Chad Davis has come to appreciate the attitude among one-time soldiers of his father's generation.

"You sense a lot of pride in Vietnam veterans because now they are getting the recognition they deserved 30 years ago," he said. "My dad didn't have a welcome at all."

But, from the perspective of age 65, Ross sees history repeating itself with another war.

"There are so many similarities between Vietnam and Iraq that you can't even see straight," he said. "Read the headlines from Vietnam and the headlines from Iraq, and you see the same thing happening.

"Some of the things the young Marines home from Iraq are saying were the things I was thinking 30 years ago," Ross said.

"They can't tell the good guys from the bad guys. The Iraqis who work beside you all day are the guys trying to kill you at night."

Even as tension mounts over how best to proceed in Iraq, a measure of peace over a long-ago war has arrived in this Colorado mountain valley. The monument stands as a symbol for the valor of those who served and for the sacrifice of families who waited for those who never came home.

And the Huey - whether landing or leaving - is freighted with solace and healing.


Memorial Dedication on July 4th
by Kelly J. Baty, Fruita Times, Fruita, Colorado
July 3, 2003

It began several years ago with an idea. A man wanting to do something for his brother, who died serving his country in Vietnam. It culminates tomorrow with the dedication of the Western Colorado Vietnam War Memorial.

"I'm very excited about this," said Jim Doody, founder of the non-profit organization supporting the Western Slope Vietnam War Memorial Park. "It's been a long time coming." It being the dedication and near-completion of the Memorial. Years of planning, fundraising and construction will be highlighted by the formal dedication. Ceremonies begin at 9 a.m. at the Memorial, located adjacent to the Colorado Welcome Center just south of the Interstate.

"We selected this day, so that we could celebrate the independence of our country, not just the memorial," Jim Doody, its founder, said. "Come on out, bring a blanket or chair to sit on, and enjoy."

Huey flyover

The ceremoney will begin with a working Huey flyover with a landing in Dinosaur Journey's parking lot. The Memorial's most striking feature is a Huey mounted on a pole.

Mesa County Commissioner Tillie Bishop will be the Master of Ceremonies. Bishop is also an honorary co-chair for fundraising, with U.S. Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell.

Judy Hunt will sing the National Anthem to open the dedication. [Note: The special eulogy for Phil Rutledge was inserted into the program at this point.] Jim Warner will sing patriotic songs.

Colonel Roger Hagerty will be first to speak. U.S. Army Lt. Colonel Bill Martin (Ret.), a Vietnam helicopter pilot, promises to entertain with stories of bringing the helicopter to Mesa County.

USMC Lt. Col. Dick Merritt (Ret.), also a Vietnam veteran, Mayor Jim Adams, State Treasurer Mike Coffman, himself a USMC Reserve Major (Ret.), and former Fruita City Manager John Schneider will each speak during the ceremony.

Captain Kim Thornberg, Air Force Academy graduate, will speak on the diversity of the military, and the people of the Grand Valley.

Memorial founder Jim Doody and Marine Corps Brigadier General Harry Hagaman (Ret.) will address the audience. Then, the keynote speaker, Four-Star General Ron Fogleman, a former Joint Chief of Staff, who served two tours in Vietnam. Fogleman is currently residing in Durango.

At 10 a.m., four F-16 fighters will fly over.

Jim Morris, the City of Fruita liaison for the Foundation, will release a golden eagle before the ribbon cutting.

Three ribbons to be cut

The three ribbons will hang from the nose of the Huey. The first, representing the people in the military, will be cut by Rhy Paris, President of the Colorado State Council of Vietnam Veterans of America, Doc Ross, and Glen White.

The second ribbon will be cut by Melaine and Jayme Doody and represents family members. Jim Doody will cut the third ribbon and open the memorial and welcome home the Vietnam veterans.

The Memorial, known as the "Field of Dreams," was inspired by two 1967 graduates of Central High School. One, Thomas Doody, was killed in action while piloting a UH-1H Huey helicopter over Laos in 1971. His best friend Marshall Davis, who also served in Vietnam, was killed in 1986 while piloting an ambulance helicopter in Oregon. This Memorial has been a dream of Tom Doody's younger brother, Jim, for many years.

Doody has also been chosen as the Grand Marshall in Grand Junction's 4th of July parade, which begins at 1 p.m. on Main Street in Grand Junction.

After a final weekend of visiting one of numerous locations throughout the Valley, the Huey helicopter has been been permanently mounted on its perch atop the Memorial, which includes the names of the 55 Western Slope residents who were killed or missing in action, and the names of those who served in the armed services during the Vietnam era from Western Colorado.

The memorial is surrounded by Walk of Honor that will display the names of veterans from other eras, and community supporters that have donated to the Memorial. A United States flag, a Colorado State flag, a replica of the Vietnam service ribbon, as well as emblems from all branches of the military are included in the Park.

"Far too often we have seen the soldier cheered in battle and forgotten in times of peace," Paris said. "It is altogether fitting that a memorial recognizing the Vietnam Veterans of Western Colorado be erected and supported through cooperation of the State of Colorado and Western Slope communities and individuals."

Continuing support of the memorial will be provided by the Western Slope Vietnam War Memorial Foundation.

The Mopars Unlimited car show July 5-6 at the Adams Mark Hotel in Grand Junction will benefit the Memorial this year. Construction and coordination for the Memorial was provided on a volunteer basis by many businesses and individuals.

August time capsule

"To complete the project, we will be placing a time capsule in the Memorial in late August," Doody said. "This will include pictures, documents, and mementos to be opened in 50 years."

Anyone interested in placing items in the capsule can contact the Foundation at www.field-of-dreams.org or call 970-242-0073.


Editorial - They Built It, You Can Come
Fruita Times, Fruita, Colorado
July 3, 2003

They called it Western Colorado's "Field of Dreams," and that it is. But the fact that those dreams have become a reality is due to a lot of perspiration in following one man's inspiration. We congratulate Jim Doody, who stayed the course through years of planning and fundraising to bring an outstanding achievement to its day of Dedication, tomorrow, July 4th, at 9 a.m.

The Western Colorado Vietnam War Memorial at the Colorado Welcome Center in Fruita brought forth an unprecedented cooperation from hundreds. No fewer than 70 companies were involved in its construction, or support thereof, on a volunteer basis. They gave willingly, and proudly, to give Mesa County and Western Colorado an opportunity to recall what freedom is all about.

The Memorial owes its existence to Jim Doody's faithfulness in bringing honor to his brother, Thomas Doody, who was killed in action while piloting a UH-1H Huey helicopter over Laos in 1971. Thomas's best friend, Marshall Davis, also a Vietnam veteran, was killed in 1986 while piloting an ambulance helicopter in Oregon. Of greater consequence, of course, is the fact that the Memorial honors all of the servicemen and servicewomen who gave the supreme sacrifice - their lives - in the pursuit of Freedom.

Somehow, it seems right that one war finally finds its Memorial while another is in progress. We reference not only the war in Iraq but the broader war on terror. As Americans die on foreign soil today, we at long last tell those who died during the war in Vietnam that we love them and cherish their memories.

It is the Vietnam War Memorial, but it is also a Memorial to all of those who have placed themselves in harm's way beneath Old Glory, countless thousands of whom gave their lives in the process. Americans have regained an appreciation for honor, duty, freedom and the recognition that there are times when it is right and just to take up arms.

We congratulate Jim Doody; Honorary Co-Chairs U.S. Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell and former State Senate President Tillie Bishop, who is currently a Mesa County Commissioner, all of the contractors, the volunteer fundraisers, and those who made donations for bringing the project to fruition.

While in one sense it is a done deal, in the words of the Board of Directors of the Western Slope War Memorial Park: "The healing process from this war is far from over. We believe the knowledge and wisdom gained during the War must be remembered in the work we do today and should be passed on to future generations."

It is also a Living Memorial which has been designed to grow. Additions may still be made to the memorial Wall, which contains the permanently-etched names of Vietnam-era veterans. A Walk of Honor consists of memorial bricks etched with the names of veterans, regardless of the time frame when they served in the U.S. military, or of any community member of business wishing to financially support the Memorial. The opportunity to add to those is ongoing, as are the financial needs of adding to and maintaining the Memorial.

For more information, to make a donation, or to arrange a listing on either the Memorial Wall of the Walk of Honor, visit www.field-of-dreams.org or call 970-242-0073.

God bless America!


Vietnam Vets Honored in Emotional Ceremony
by Megan Fromm, The Daily Sentinel, Grand Junction, Colorado
July 5, 2003

With hugs and handshakes, [a few thousand] people gathered Friday to honor Vietnam veterans and to celebrate the realization of a five-year endeavor.

The crowd gathered at the Colorado Welcome Center in Fruita for the dedication of the Western Slope Vietnam War Memorial Park around 9 a.m. as a UH1 "Huey" helicopter flew over and landed across the street.

After a presentation of the colors and the national anthem, a moment of silence for past and present members of the armed services was observed.

The ceremony began with the release of a golden eagle and a welcome of master of ceremony and Mesa County Commissioner Tilman Bishop, who gave a brief history of the park's legacy.

Founded by Jim Doody, the park began as an idea five years ago to honor Doody's brother, Tom, and his brother's friend. What resulted was a symbol of appreciation and pride for America's soldiers, Montrose City Manager John Schneiger said.

Schneiger said what impressed him most about the park was the quality of individuals involved in its completion and their fierce commitment to it.

"It didn't take long to realize he had a beautiful vision, and I wanted to be a part of that," he said after Jim Werner sang "America the Beautiful."

An F-16 fly-by raised the crowd to its feet. People hollered and clapped over the roar before Doody rose to speak.

"What a ride," Doody said. "This is the day I've dreamed about." He thanked his supporters and his wife before emotion overcame him. He was presented with a signed resolution for the park and an eagle statue.

The last of the speakers, former U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Ron Fogleman, talked briefly of the lessons he learned from troops across the globe.

A recipient of the Purple Heart along with 20 other medals, Fogleman spent 34 years in active duty, logging 6,800 hours of flight time and two combat tours in Vietnam.

"What we reflect upon is the fact that freedom in no way is free," he said. "It must be nurtured, it must be protected, it must be fought for."

Fogleman recalled returning from Vietnam with a generation of "invisible veterans" - those booed and hissed at for their role in the war. But he said that with recognition like the park, veterans will remember that they did something good in the fight against communism.

Before stepping away from the podium, Fogleman had one final story to tell. While visiting soldiers during wartime, he would ask what they would like to tell higher-ranking staff.

The soldiers cam up with three things: they wanted to make sure the fighting was worthwhile, their families were cared for, and people back home understood the job they were doing so they could better appreciate the soldiers' sacrifices.

"We were young, and we served our country with pride," he said.

Plaques on the memorial are engraved with the names of soldiers who served in the Vietnam War as well as some of those missing or killed in action.

A Huey helicopter is mounted above three separate replicas of the U.S. flag, state flag, and Vietnam service ribbon.

Grand Junction resident Eric Huff walked around the memorial with an American flag and POW flag in hand, the same flags present when he buried his father, Harry, in 1995.

Harry served as a door gunner aboard a Huey in the U.S. Army 101st Airborne Screaming Eagles.

"It's beautiful," Huff said of the memorial as others read over names and placed flowers on the white granite. "It's something he had envisioned as well. I am just here for him."

Huff, whose family traditionally releases balloons into the air in remembrance of his father, said the park will now serve as a place for him to reflect quietly upon the past and his father.

"He's here with me," he said.


Fruita’s Vietnam Memorial Helps Heal Long-Hidden Wounds
Letters to the Editor, The Daily Sentinel, Grand Junction, Colorado
July 17, 2003

Having used up my accumulated vacation leave time in May of 1969 to pay a stateside visit to a friend who was dying, I was discharged in July from the U.S. Navy at Treasure Island near San Francisco without enough money to get home. So I decided to hitchhike. Of course, that was the mode of transportation for a lot of folks then. When I had to compete for a ride with hundreds of hitchhikers in Reno, Nev., I decided to set myself apart from the rest of them by putting on my Navy uniform.

Bad idea.

Over the course of one hour, I was constantly screamed at, berated and flipped off and finally assaulted by a beer bottle flung at me by a passing trucker. For my safety, I ditched the uniform, and with it, any desire I might have had over the next 30 years to share my military experience. Even to this day, friends are often surprised to learn about my tour of duty in Vietnam.

So, people can only imagine how overwhelming it was for me to attend the dedication of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Fruita on July 4 and to witness the choice made by literally thousands of people to attend.

I’m sure some were other vets like me, coming to terms with their own experience. And some were families whose loved ones had lost life and limb in defense of a nation fighting an unpopular war. But no doubt many were ordinary folks who were there to offer a long-overdue token of respect from a finally grateful nation.

Thanks to Jim Doody for following his dream. Thanks to Tom Doody for giving his life for our freedom. And thanks to everyone who attended the ceremony, whether in person or in spirit.

Bill Wagner
Grand Junction


Fruita Residents Made Sure Vietnam Veterans Were Welcome
Letters to the Editor, The Daily Sentinel, Grand Junction, Colorado
July 24, 2003

As one of the former Phoenix crewmen who was in Fruita on July 4 for the Vietnam War Memorial dedication, I would like to express my appreciation to all the people in the Fruita area who made our stay memorable. The members of our crew held a mini-reunion to coincide with the memorial dedication and many of us had not seen each other since 1970 in Vietnam.

I would like to thank Jim Doody and the Vietnam War Memorial Committee for being such gracious hosts. And special thanks needs to go to the staff of the Comfort Inn and Super 8 for putting up with a group of 50-somethings that for a brief few days were 20 years old again.

All of us part with fond memories of Fruita and the people we met there.

Ken Mayberry
York, Nebraska



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