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closeBringing a traveling tribute to East Pierce
Avani Nadkarni
Robert Mac Donald isn’t one to sit around and let an idea fester.
Mac Donald, a Vietnam War-era veteran and a member of the Milton VFW Post, works as a longshoreman in King County and found out about the American Veterans Traveling Tribute through a colleague’s brother. The tribute consists of several exhibits and memorials, including an 80 percent sized replica of the Vietnam Wall that stands more than 8 feet tall and 370 feet long, and Mac Donald hopes to bring it to East Pierce County. The closest it has come so far, he said, is Auburn in 2004.
“It will help heal and bring closure to many,” Mac Donald said of the tribute, which he is hoping to bring to the area around Memorial Day 2010. “This is to honor our veterans.”
“Once I got the idea, it started snowballing,” he said. “A little fire started burning inside of me.”
He got to work forming a Veterans Tribute Committee and is in talks with members of the Puyallup Tribal Veterans Committee to join. He’s also attended several area council meetings, including Sumner, asking for donations from the cities. The city of Fife has agreed to donate $2,500, Mac Donald said.
The cost of actually bringing the tribute to the area is just under $10,000, but Mac Donald estimates nearly $10,000 more will be needed for tents, parking and outdoor facilities for the time the tribute is in the area. He’s also in the process of obtaining 501c3 non-profit eligibility for the committee and is seeking assistance securing it.
Still, he said, he welcomes the challenge. While the actual tribute will likely be at Dacca Park in Fife, Mac Donald thinks the whole area will benefit from the memorial.
“We’re going to need some volunteers, we’re going to need some donations,” he said. “It’s good for the community to make it a whole community effort.”
For more information, or to volunteer or donate, contact 253-569-4600.