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A SPIRAL OF LIFE

VIETNAM VETERANS OF OREGON

LIVING MEMORIAL

WHO CAME UP WITH THE DESIGN?

(by Jud Blakely)

Simple...yet...profound.  The symbol of the Memorial is a spiral that seeks to capture the passage of life from birth to death...no matter the age a life ends and the soul moves on.  I was not present at the lunch (four decades ago in Portland) when the spiral was sketched out.

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There was a small handful of highly motivated vets at this casual lunch early in developing the vision of what a memorial should consist of and convey.  No formal blueprint had begun to take shape; it was more a vague but energizing vision in search of a clear concept.

VVOMF Jerome Jackson carwash.jpg
white napkin w spiral and name.png

Mike Goldade told me about a lunch in 1983 (or '84) where the spiral "layout" of the Memorial took shape.  Jerome Jackson, a former Army medic, drew it out on a napkin.  If that napkin still exists, no one has a clue where.  I imagine it looked something like the above...  

text of inspiration of jackson's design.png
white napkin w spiral and name.png

When I told Mike that I hadn't heard Jerome's name before, he told me Jackson was a great guy and I would've really liked him.  Note: being rated "a great guy" is the highest rating males in our age cohort can be given.  There is no higher status...and it's earned over time.

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Jerome was among the dedicated group of vets who washed cars in the early days of fund-raising for the Memorial.  I wish I knew how many cars they washed because the number would be one more yardstick of how dedicated they were.  Great Guys, all of them.  Brothers.    

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