ATLANTA — A new memorial honoring nearly 250 Atlanta service members who died in the Vietnam War is officially moving forward, with a groundbreaking ceremony taking place this afternoon at Piedmont Park.

The Sons of Atlanta Vietnam War Memorial, a $1 million project years in the making, will be located near the park’s 14th Street entrance. Designed as a pentagon-shaped plaza, the memorial aims to provide a peaceful and reflective space to remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice.

“It will be in an area that has some very nice old growth trees, a very peaceful and reflective area of the park,” said Atlanta City Councilman Michael Julian Bond, who authored the legislation to create the memorial.

Bond emphasized the importance of recognizing the contributions of those who served—and the injustices many Vietnam veterans faced upon returning home. “They suffered a lot of abuses, and it’s past time that we make this right in America,” he said.

The memorial will honor 240 Atlanta natives who died in the war and never returned. Bond called the project a “long-overdue honor” and said the goal is not only to remember the fallen but also to help heal the wounds still carried by many Vietnam veterans.

“We should have this memorial here because these are the individuals who sacrificed all; most of them at a relatively young age to defend our freedom and our country,” he said.

Construction is expected to take six to nine months.

WSBs Ashley Simmons contributed to this story