This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Health & Fitness

The NJ Vietnam Vets Memorial is Worth the Trip

Visit the New Jersey Vietnam Veteran's Memorial in honor of Memorial Day.

Weekends are great for sightseeing and day trips, and Woodbridge Township is a great place to live because we are so close to so many great places to visit.  In honor of Memorial Day weekend, I thought I'd tell you a little bit about the New Jersey Vietnam Veteran's Memorial.

This memorial, museum and education center is just a few exits down the parkway, south of Woodbridge Township.  It's located at exit 116, on the grounds of the PNC Bank Arts Center.  For information and directions, you can go to their website

You might not have thought of visiting it, but it's a really nice place to go for an afternoon.  This Monday, May 30th,  they'll be having a Memorial Day Ceremony at 11 am.  Going there would be a great way to commemorate the holiday.  The connected Museum will also be open, free to all visitors on that day.

Find out what's happening in Woodbridgewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

When I visited the Memorial, I went on a Saturday morning.  On the first Saturday of every month, there are free tours of the Memorial by a Vietnam Veteran tour guide.  The tours are offered at 11 am and 1 pm, so you want to plan accordingly.  Because you can visit the Memorial anytime - it's open 365 days a year, 24 hours a day -- but the experience of speaking with the tour guide is what really made my trip memorable.  The sincere emotion of both pride and loss that he was able to express made the tour much more meaningful than I had expected on a bright sunny Saturday.

There is a lot of symbolism and artistry involved in each aspect of the design of the Memorial.  Our tour guide was able to explain things that weren't obvious; the reasons for the layout, the significance of the statues, and the names on the walls. 

Find out what's happening in Woodbridgewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

There are all of the names of  the 1,562 people from New Jersey who were killed or listed as missing during the Vietnam War.   The date of casualty or incident determines which panel the name is on.  There is a panel for each day of the year, in a circle.  Top names on a panel are from the earliest year, progressing down to latest year.  Any names within the same year are in alphabetical order.  Many people look for the names of someone that they knew who were lost in Vietnam.  That's just one more of the emotional aspects of the monument and tour.

There is also a beautiful Museum and Education Center, filled with information and exhibits about the Vietnam War.  The museum is usually only open Tuesday through Saturday, 11 am to 4 pm, for a small fee - $5 for adults, $3 for students and seniors, and free to vets and active military.  On the day that I visited, I spent a long time inside the building, looking at different displays, including letters and personal belongings as well as historical information.  It helped me understand the era and the history more clearly, and made it even more real and personal.

So in honor of Memorial Day, take a trip down to the New Jersey Vietnam Veterans Memorial and Education Center, and thank a Veteran.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?