The Southeast Asia Memorial Pavilion - A Most Commanding Edifice

HERITAGE MINUTE

The largest and most commanding structure on the Heritage Trail is the Southeast Asia Memorial Pavilion. A gift of the Class of ‘70, it was dedicated on October first, 2010, during the class’s 40-year reunion. ----more----

The facility pays homage to Air Force Academy graduates who served and sacrificed during the Southeast Asia conflict. Plaques list each of the 150 Academy graduates who died in the war, from the Classes of 1959 to 1972. Other plaques pay tribute to our sister service academies. The Pavilion has nine granite benches, one for each of the Class of ’70 graduates killed in the war, and a flag perpetually at half-staff. The black granite wall is evocative of Washington D.C.’s Vietnam Veterans Memorial. The Pavilion bisects a blue wall, representing how the war impacted the “Long Blue Line” of Academy graduates. One key feature inside the Pavilion is a bronze bas-relief map of Southeast Asia that includes locations of major bases and operations during that conflict. It was sculpted by Vietnam veteran Jim Nance, Class of ’71. The Pavilion also has interactive screens, which provide context to the war, with information on the culture and news of the times. The front wall points to the Cadet Area to remind cadets of graduate heritage during the war, a legacy of heroism and service presented and preserved by this remarkable facility.

IMAGE GALLERY

The Heritage Minute Channel is a production of the Long Blue Line Podcast Network and presented by the U.S. Airforce Academy Association and Foundation