Orange County residents were promised a Vietnam War Memorial that would honor both American soldiers and the South Vietnamese allies who fought beside them. Instead, what stands in Mile Square Park is a cracked, unfinished structure surrounded by dry grass and controversy.

The $1 million project was supposed to reflect the sacrifice of thousands, especially the Vietnamese-American community that calls Orange County home. But the county awarded the contract to a nonprofit connected to former Supervisor Andrew Do, who is now serving time in federal prison for a separate bribery scheme. The nonprofit’s founder has fled the country. County officials say most of the money may have been misused, and the memorial never came close to completion. Veterans' names were never etched. The eternal flame is covered in bird droppings. Granite slabs are already cracking.

This is not how we honor those who served.

We call on the Orange County Board of Supervisors to take two immediate steps:

• Commit to building a new, community-led Vietnam War Memorial, designed in consultation with veterans and local residents, and ensure it is completed by the time Mile Square Park reopens in 2026.
• Pursue full transparency and accountability by completing the civil investigation into the failed project, conducting a public audit of the memorial’s spending, and ensuring any recovered funds are redirected toward a proper tribute to our veterans.

The 58,000 American soldiers who died in Vietnam and the tens of thousands of Vietnamese refugees who settled in Orange County deserve more than broken promises and political scandal. We must do right by them.

A memorial built on corruption cannot be the final word. Sign this petition to demand that Orange County rebuild the memorial the right way and hold those responsible accountable.

Photo: Jill Replogle/LAist