Do you know these names? Community asked to help honor local Vietnam War service members
On a cool morning at Court Square, a small stone set in front of the Harrisonburg-Rockingham County Circuit Court sits quiet but resolute — a 1973 marker recognizing nine local men who were killed in the Vietnam War. With an updated memorial set to be unveiled at 2 p. m. ET on March 29, community leaders are asking Harrisonburg and Rockingham County residents to help connect those names to family and memory.
What will happen at the March 29 ceremony?
The ceremony at Court Square in Harrisonburg will unveil an updated memorial and dedicate a new flagpole. The original stone was placed in 1973 and recognized nine local men who were killed in the Vietnam War; because the Vietnam War did not end until 1975, several names were not included on that original marker. Officials plan the unveiling and flag dedication as a way to broaden the memorial’s reach and recognition.
Who is being asked to help identify the names from the Vietnam War?
Clerk of Court Chaz Haywood of the Harrisonburg-Rockingham County Circuit Court emphasized the community role in completing the memorial record. “I think we need to take every opportunity to remember from the memorial side, every individual that’s given us supreme sacrifice for us as a nation and certainly within this community, ” Haywood said. He is asking relatives or friends of the fallen to come forward to share memories during the ceremony or to provide short biographies that can be included with the updated marker.
How can families and friends contribute?
Those who believe they are related to names on the marker, or who have memories to share, are invited to contact the Harrisonburg-Rockingham County Circuit Court at 540-564-3111. Organizers hope that the contributions — whether spoken remembrances at the ceremony or brief written biographies — will restore missing names and flesh out the personal histories behind the stone placed in Court Square more than five decades ago.
The request frames the memorial not just as stone and flagpole, but as a communal act: filling gaps left when the original marker was created in 1973 and recognizing that the Vietnam War extended beyond that year. For a community that has lived with the small stone in front of the court for generations, the March 29 event offers a chance to bring forgotten stories into a more complete record.
As organizers prepare, the hope is that friends and family will answer the call, supplying memories and names that will allow the updated memorial to honor each individual fully. The ceremony at Court Square at 2 p. m. ET on March 29 will mark that effort and the dedication of the new flagpole. For contact and submissions, call the Harrisonburg-Rockingham County Circuit Court at 540-564-3111.
Image caption (alt text): Court Square memorial stone recognizing Vietnam War service members
