News-Info-Alerts

Re: Statue Honors POW

To: ALL

From: Andi Wolos & Bob Necci

(POW-MIA InterNetwork)

Date: July 08, 2002

"Statue Honors a POW

On a holiday weekend certain to be marked by a renewed embrace of the heroes fighting America's war on terrorism, Alexandria is honoring a native son who is one of the last heroes of the Vietnam War era.

Thirty-seven years after dying at the hands of his Viet Cong captors, Army Capt. Humbert R. "Rocky" Versace is being officially recognized in Alexandria and in Washington. In Alexandria, hundreds of people are expected to attend the dedication of the Captain Rocky Versace Memorial Plaza and Alexandria Vietnam Veterans Memorial Saturday morning. And on Monday, President Bush will present Versace's surviving brothers with a posthumous Medal of Honor.

Earlier this week, workers supervised by sculptor Antonio Tobias Mendez and assisted by a huge crane moved the bronze likeness of Versace into the center of the plaza, located in front of the Mount Vernon Recreation Center. The spot is a short distance from where Versace lived as a youth.

As the 1,500-pound sculpture was put into place, Versace's brother Steve smiled and said, "Rocky finally made it home."

"This is pretty amazing," he said. "It's the end of a four-year odyssey to get this done. But it's not really the end. It's really creating a legacy. A hundred years from now, people will be able to see this and remember."

For Mendez, creating the memorial of granite, flagstone and limestone was a labor of love. His circular design includes the engraved names of all 66 Alexandria residents who died in Vietnam, each topped by a gold star. The statue of Versace, with two children depicting Vietnamese orphans, serves as its centerpiece and focal point.

"I think that Rocky symbolizes all of the men whose names are here, and the sacrifice they made," Mendez said. "And it is a peaceful memorial. There is no weaponry. You see Rocky as a mentor, working with kids, which is what he wanted to do."

Today's dedication ceremony will cap a long effort to recognize Versace, a West Point graduate who aspired to the priesthood but died a cruel and torturous death deep in the jungles of Vietnam. Twenty-seven when he died, he would have celebrated his 65th birthday July 2.

© 2002, Media General Inc. "