denisemspranger - Dr. Victor Westphall

Dr. Victor Westphall

The Taos News

For the love of a lost son

By Denise M. Spranger
Photo by Megan Bowers

Dr. Victor Westphall wrote, "When sons or daughters die in battle, parents are confronted with the choice of what they will do to honor the courage and sacrifice of that son or daughter."

Westphall's choice was to build the first memorial in the nation to honor the veterans of the Vietnam War. Upon the death of his son, Victor David Westphall III, killed in an ambush in Vietnam May 22, 1968, Westphall set to work with his wife, Jeanne, and their son, Douglas, on the Vietnam Veterans Peace and Brotherhood Chapel. The chapel was formally dedicated on the third anniversary of David's death in 1971.

Born in 1913, in Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin, Westphall served in the United States Navy on a tour of duty in the South Pacific during World War II. Following his discharge, he and his wife moved to Albuquerque in 1947 where Westphall operated a major home-building business and continued his academic studies. Westphall's younger son, Douglas, a captain and aircraft commander in the United States Air Force from 1964 to 1973, waived his rights to a "humanitarian deferment from service in a hostile fire zone" and continued to fly missions into Vietnam after his brother's death.

Below the sign indicating the daily hours of the memorial's visitors center appear the simple words: "The Chapel is open forever." Westphall recalled how the decision to keep the doors of the Chapel permanently unlocked came about.

"When I installed the entrance door, by force of habit, I locked it," Westphall said, "I came back a few days later and found on a piece of scrap plywood propped against the door, crudely inscribed with a crayon, the message, 'Why did you lock me out when I needed to come in?'"

Since that day in 1969, the chapel doors have remained open. "It may be the only public building in the nation that is never locked," Westphall added.

Alongside the sculptured curves of the nondenominational chapel, the visitors center, opened in 1986 with aid from the Disabled American Veterans (DAV), houses an array of massive photographs depicting the conflicting intensities of the Vietnam War. Amidst the images, visitors may find the words of the veterans themselves etched in glass or inscribed upon panels. A forest of banners bear the emblems of military units, while the documentary film, "Letters to America," a time-piece of history and insight, is shown in an adjacent room.

Although this Northern New Mexico national shrine is steeped in the memories of war, Dr. Westphall's deepest hope is that The Vietnam Veterans National Memorial offers a prayer for peace.

"My total life philosophy can be summed up by the statement," Westphall said, "that we who must will do what we can to encourage humankind to preserve rather destroy."

The World War II veteran added, "Peace should be a statement in itself, not an absence of war. That's a subtle distinction, but a very important one."

Westphall, who earned his Ph.D. in history at the University of New Mexico in 1956, spoke about current events. "A lot of people don't realize that this present era is the most wide-spread era of war in the history of man," he said. "Individually, as human beings, we get along pretty well," added Westphall, "but collectively, there is always some disturbing thing."

The founder of the Vietnam Veterans National Memorial Westphall said that he feels it is the duty of every human being to erase that trend. "People will say, 'What can I do? I'm just one little voice,'" Westphall said, "But they might be the one voice that tips the balance in the scale of total existence."

Westphall noted that for the time being, funding the operation of the 6,000 square foot complex is dependent upon public contributions. "I have no doubt that we will be master of the situation with the aid of the public," said Westphall, "We find that if people are informed that we need their help, they rally to our cause."

When asked if he thought that his son, David, would have been proud of the memorial that his family founded, Westphall smiled. "I think he would be pleased in more ways than people would generally recognize," he said, "not just as a triumph of the spirit, but something that is a gift to humanity, something that transcends personal feelings."

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial is open every day of the year. Call 505-377-6900, write P.O. Box 608, Angel Fire 87710, or visit www.vietnamveteransmem- orial.org.