By American Legion

Post 106

The M56 Scorpion Airborne Self-Propelled Anti-Tank Gun (SPATG) that is part of the Vietnam Veteran Memorial in Tillicum Park is considered too fragile to move. Although American Legion Post 106 had planned on moving it, the city and the parks department decided that it was too risky and possibly cost-prohibitive.

Since the members of Forks American Legion Post 106 were asked if they would be willing to take care of the Scorpion and will no longer be able to, an alternative has been provided which is giving the parks department the responsibility and giving the post a new mission.

During the original discussions about the restoration and cleanup of the vehicle, the suggestion was made that it would be great if the memorial could be added to the two that exist at the Forks Transit Center. We honor the families of all veterans that have been lost with the Gold Star Family Memorial, and we honor the families of those with family members that are serving with the Blue Star Memorial. It’s fitting that the memorial to all Veterans should join them.

The idea was graciously accepted by officials of the city and plans had started for moving the Scorpion and building a new memorial. But now we are starting over again from Ground Zero.

An alternate tracked vehicle will be provided and the planning and gathering of funds and volunteers to help with the project will continue with the new project goal in mind.

On Friday, June 26 the first meeting of the planning group was held and we established some of the basic time frames and project priorities. Needless to say, we will be working from the ground up and the plan is to have a new enclosure similar to the existing one that is in the park, but with modifications to include signage describing the vehicle and how it was used along with a plaque to honor those involved with the current project. The plan also includes a new monument honoring all veterans from Forks and the immediate area.

Our group is asking for help from the public in the form of volunteers that are willing to help with the physical labor part of this project and donations to help defray the costs. We have established a preliminary budget of $10,000. We will be setting up a separate account at our post as we did when we took over the Gold Star Memorial Project.

If you would like to volunteer to help or donate to the project contact one of the American Legion Members or send a note to us at forksveteran@gmail.com. If you would like to donate you can also send donations to American Legion Post 106, PO Box 1012, Forks, Wa. 98331. You are also invited to the planning meetings which are held at the American Legion Post, 651 E. Division.

As always we are very grateful and appreciative of your support and look forward to the completion of this project.