On Memorial Day, May 31, 2021 two newly installed bronze statues that will honor Malden Veterans of the Korean and Vietnam Wars will be unveiled. The two life-size bronze statues will be installed alongside the granite monuments that honor Malden’s Korean and Vietnam Fallen Heroes that were formerly located at Linden Delta. Face coverings are required and attendees are encouraged to stay socially distant. The event will take place from 6-8 PM and will feature a performance by a U.S. Marine Corps Band. The event will be live streamed on Comcast Channel 22, Verizon Channel 26, or MATV’s YouTube channel.
The Korean War Memorial was originally dedicated on the Linden Victory Delta and then rededicated in 2013 and contains the names of 17 Malden Korean Veterans who died during the war. The three-year period of the Korean War was one of the most hard fought in our history. During its relatively short duration from June 25, 1950 to July 27, 1953, 36,574 Americans died in hostile actions in the Korean War theater. Of these, 8,200 are listed as missing in action or lost or buried at sea. In addition, 103,284 were wounded during the conflict.
The Vietnam War Memorial was originally dedicated on the Linden Victory Delta and then rededicated in 2013 and contains the names of 19 Malden Vietnam Veterans who died during the war. The Vietnam War was a long, costly, and divisive war that pitted the communist government of North Vietnam against South Vietnam and its principal ally, the United States. The war was intensified by the ongoing Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union. More than 3 million people (including over 58,000 Americans) were killed in the Vietnam War. Opposition to the war in the United States bitterly divided Americans, even after President Richard Nixon ordered the withdrawal of U.S. forces in 1973. Communist forces ended the war by seizing control of South Vietnam in 1975, and the country was unified as the Socialist Republic of Vietnam the following year.
Veterans Services Director Kevin Jarvis is requesting that the families of Malden Veterans who died during the Korean and Vietnam Wars please contact him so that we may acknowledge them on Memorial Day at kjarvis@cityofmalden.org or at 781-397-7139.