Bedford Vietnam Veterans Memorial board confirms dedication for Nov. 22, 2025; county provided site approval

Doug Berry, representing the Bedford Vietnam Veterans Memorial (BVVM), updated the Bedford County Board of Supervisors on the memorial project and announced a dedication date.

Berry said the BVVM board reconstituted in June 2024, completed a feasibility and design process, and secured a memorandum of agreement approving placement of the memorial in front of the courthouse. He said the town and county were not asked to provide funding; donations were raised and the memorial purchase is paid in full.

“We've also made provisions financially to have funds available to care for the maintenance…for many years to come,” Berry said. He added that the memorial’s dimensions are roughly 4 feet deep, 12 feet wide and about 9 feet high and that the American Legion Post 54 will serve as the project’s fiduciary agent under a ratified memorandum of agreement.

Berry told the board that, weather permitting, ground will be broken this week and that the dedication is scheduled for Nov. 22, 2025, at 11 a.m. He said Virginia Secretary of Veterans and Defense Affairs Craig Crenshaw will be the keynote speaker, and that state and federal legislators have committed to attend; the event is open to the public.

Berry thanked the board and county administration for their cooperation; he said three board members had already committed to attend and invited other board members to participate or contact the BVVM committee for reserved seating.

The board received the update; no formal county funding or procurement was requested in this presentation.