The ''Special Warfare Memorial Statue'' — known informally as ''Bronze Bruce'' — was the first memorial in the United States to soldiers who had served in the Vietnam War. It was created in 1968 by sculptor Donald De Lue (1897-1988) and dedicated on November 19, 1969. The statue is the centerpiece of the U.S. Army Special Operations Command's Memorial Plaza at

Fort Bragg Fort Bragg is a military installation of the United States Army in North Carolina, and is one of the largest military installations in the world by population, with around 54,000 military personnel. The military reservation is located within Cum ...

, North Carolina, which honors all Army special operations soldiers. The statue depicts a

Special Forces Special forces and special operations forces (SOF) are military units trained to conduct special operations. NATO has defined special operations as "military activities conducted by specially designated, organized, selected, trained and equip ...

soldier as most all of the Army special operations soldiers killed in Vietnam were SF.

Symbolism

According to the United States Army Special Operations Command website: The base of the statue contains a time capsule with an SF uniform, green beret, a bust of John F. Kennedy, and a copy of Kennedy's speech when presenting the green beret to the Special Forces.

Cost

The statue's cost of $100,000 was funded entirely by donations.

John Wayne Marion Robert Morrison (May 26, 1907 – June 11, 1979), known professionally as John Wayne and nicknamed The Duke or Duke Wayne, was an American actor who became a popular icon through his starring roles in films made during Hollywood's Gol ...

, co-director and star of the 1968 film, ''

The Green Berets The United States Army Special Forces (SF), colloquially known as the "Green Berets" due to their distinctive service headgear, are a special operations force of the United States Army. The Green Berets are geared towards nine doctrinal mis ...

'', and Barry Sadler, former SF soldier and composer of the Ballad of the Green Berets, both donated $5,000 for the statue. Robert McNamara, who was

Secretary of Defense A defence minister or minister of defence is a cabinet official position in charge of a ministry of defense, which regulates the armed forces in sovereign states. The role of a defence minister varies considerably from country to country; in som ...

at the time, donated $1,000. The remaining donations came from Special Forces soldiers from all over the world.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Special Warfare Memorial Statue, The Monuments and memorials in North Carolina 1968 sculptures Buildings and structures in Fayetteville, North Carolina Outdoor sculptures in North Carolina Bronze sculptures in North Carolina Statues in North Carolina Sculptures of men in North Carolina Vietnam War monuments and memorials in the United States