It’s Official
Tom Brown, President of the Nebraska Vietnam Veteran Memorial Foundation, and Papillion Mayor David P. Black signed the Memorandum of Understanding on September 3, 2020; that the City of Papillion – Municipal Government will lease the land designated to be the site of the Nebraska Vietnam Veteran Memorial for the next 50 years. The site, next to SumTur Amphitheater is easily accessible off of Highway 370 and not far from Interstate 80, so Nebraskans from all over can visit the Memorial to #RememberThePast and #EducatetheFuture.
A Sign of Progress
A sign was raised December 8, 2020 to mark the location of the future Nebraska Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Here are the top reasons why this location was chosen to honor the fallen, remember the forgotten war, and give thanks to all Vietnam Veterans.
Here are some key reasons this is the best location for the Memorial:
The Site: The future site of the Memorial rests on a hill with the view of Walnut Creek. From the middle of the site, you can have beautiful views from sunrise to sunset.
SumTur Amphitheater: Co-located with the SumTur Amphitheater and with an agreement to host events annually, the Memorial will have foot traffic for at least a third of the year. SumTur Amphitheater hosts at least 100 events a year. There is an agreement to allow the Foundation to host at three events in addition to the 100 events.
Walnut Creek: The nearby Walnut Creek Campground is available for RVs and tent camping. There are horse trails and bike trails to the site of the Memorial.
Highway 370: The site is located between a major highway that connects the I-80 to Hwy 75 & I-29. Along Hwy 370 and within 2.3 miles of the site is Werner Park, the home to the Omaha Storm Chasers, that hosts 70 Storm Chaser games as well as other charity events and live events.
Highway 50 Corridor: There are several major companies in the vicinity of the Memorial. A Facebook Data Center is located in Springfield, NE. Amazon is building a new high-tech processing center along Highway 50. A Google Data Center is being built on Schram Road within 5 minutes of the Memorial.
Schram Rd: Along Schram Rd and within 4.4 miles of the site is the Omaha National Cemetery. The Omaha National Cemetery is a 236-acre cemetery that will serve the burial needs of more than 112,000 Veterans for the next 100 years.
Lincoln, NE: Of the 44, 000+ Veterans residing in the state of Nebraska, over 6,000 reside in Lincoln, NE. The site of the Memorial is within 45 minutes from the center of Lincoln.
Omaha, NE: Of the 44,000+ Veterans residing in the state of Nebraska, over 17,000 reside in the Omaha Metro Area. The site of the Memorial is within 25 minutes from anywhere in the Omaha Metro Area.
Papillion, NE: A 60-minute drive from 60% of Nebraska’s labor force and much of eastern Iowa.
Offutt Air Force Base: The largest base in the state of Nebraska and the home of the Strategic Command, Offutt Air Force Base is within 10 minutes of the site of the Memorial.
Veteran Services: Omaha VA Medical Center is 20 minutes and Eastern Nebraska Veterans Home is 14 minutes from the Memorial. Western Nebraska Veterans Home is 6 hours, Central Nebraska Veterans Home is 2.5 hours, and Norfolk Veterans Home is 2 hours.