Representatives of the International Management District joined Mayor Sylvester Turner and other officials today (Friday, May 26) for the dedication of a memorial at Club Creek Park to honor U.S. military members from the Houston area who died in the Vietnam War.

The Southwest Houston Redevelopment Authority funded the project with $1.3 million; another $100,000 came from District J Council Member Edward Pollard’s funds. Pollard, whose father Donald Pollard Sr., served in the military in Vietnam, had proposed the idea of the memorial a few years ago.

“In the absence of these TIRZs, today would not be happening,” the mayor said.

About 250 people attended the ceremony, including men and women from the U.S. and Vietnam who fought in the war.

In addition to memorializing the hundreds of Houston residents who lost their lives, Pollard said, the monument also represents the community’s overdue thanks to people like his father who survived the war and resumed their productive lives in the city.

Club Creek Park is at 9680 Club Creek Drive.

TIRZ 20 Chairman Welcome Wilson Jr. speaks