UPDATE: The rededication has been rescheduled for Wednesday, Aug. 22.

The City of Broken Arrow will host a rededication ceremony for the Vietnam War Memorial at Veterans Park, 1111 S. Main St., at 7 p.m., Thursday, Aug. 16.

UPDATE: The rededication has been rescheduled for Wednesday, Aug. 22.

The memorial honors the seven Broken Arrow residents who were killed during the Vietnam War. Members of their families have been invited to attend the rededication.

The Vietnam War Memorial was located in Central Park at 1500 S. Main; however there was a desire to have it relocated across Main Street to Veterans Park. This was done partly because many who visited Veterans Park did not make the trek to the memorial. Also, some events held at Central Park would cause the memorial to be obstructed from view or risked damage to it.

“I think it’s important to remember the sacrifice of those seven young men, four of whom died in one year – 1969,” said Councilor Johnnie Parks. “Since we had Veterans Park available I think the memorial needed to be moved so that people, especially kids, who come to Veterans Park can remember their service to the nation.”

The City Council approved the memorial’s relocation in April 2017. During planning, it was determined moving the original granite monument might damage it and a new monument was ordered for Veterans Park.

The original monument from Central Park will be relocated to the Military History Center, 112 N. Main St., pending its successful removal in the next month.