New Jersey Vietnam Veterans' Memorial and Vietnam Era Museum — Attraction in Holmdel Township

As the proud daughter of a Vietnam veteran I feel obligated to write this review. In June 2019, I bought a memorial paver in honor of my father. It was purchased on June 14, 2019. In June of 2021, I gathered my entire family and traveled to the memorial to see my dad's brick for the first time. I was shocked to find out that the brick was never created nor laid. I felt frustrated and disappointed, as my father and the rest of my family traveled there to see it. Although the museum was closed to the public at the time, there was an employee on site who put me in contact with the organizer of the paver program. My disappointment only grew when he informed me that they lost my original order, despite the fact that the payment had been made in full at the time of purchase. Trying to be as understanding as possible, as I know many Vietnam vets run the museum and memorial, I provided the information again. The organizer informed me that it may take a few months to fulfill the order due to Covid related backups, but assured me the brick would be laid in the next round. In June of 2022, I called to inquire about my father's brick only to be told AGAIN that it still hadn't been created nor laid. I was provided with a slew of excuses as to why it was not done. This time, I was assured it would be done in two months time. In August of 2022, I emailed the executive director of the museum regarding this matter. My email has gone unanswered to this day. I also called the employee in charge of the paver program on the same day and left a detailed message. My call was never returned. I am fully confident that my order was never completed. Today, September 20th, I called the museum once again. There was no answer. A prerecorded message played stating the museum is closed and employees are working remotely. I once again left a detailed voice message but am confident that I will not hear from anyone associated with this establishment. I see from their reviews that I am not the only person who has experienced this. It upsets me that they offered a program to honor Vietnam veterans and didn't follow through on honest purchases. My father and all of our nation's veterans deserve the utmost respect and admiration. This site takes money from veterans and family members wanting to honor their service and/or their war heroes and then leaves them in the dust! Just inexcusable! I can only wonder how many other people bought bricks and don't even know that they were never made nor laid at the site. My next step is the Better Business Bureau! I want a full refund of my money so that it can be donated to an establishment that truly supports and honors...

This memorial to the residents of NJ who were lost in Vietnam is impactful. There is easy access from the Garden State Parkway north or south via exit 116 for the PNC Arts Center or locals can use the access road from Holmdel township (just follow the commuter parking access).

There is a small, indoor museum with some very insightful exhibits about how the war was viewed by those fighting it as well as those back home. This building has rest rooms and a small gift shop too.

Next to the museum is the actual memorial. You'll walk down a wide path to a tunnel that brings you up into the center of the memorial. The memorial itself is round, with a large open air design. I can't do it justice, but I will say the design is simple, yet impressive.

The museum and memorial are close together and won't be an issue for anyone who walks easily. Both the museum and memorial are also wheelchair friendly with wide ramps and easy to navigate indoor exhibits. The memorial has some benches as well.

For nicer weather, there are about a dozen picnic tables near the museum building. There is plenty of free parking for most days and an overflow lot for...

This is a small but nice memorial dedicated to the folks from New Jersey that died during the war. It's actually in the same parking areas of PNC Arts Center. It's on the right hand side if you are looking at the venue. There's a nice wall that is outside the museum where every name is inscribed on the day they passed. It's a little sobering to see this wall and realize it's just New Jersey. There's also a retired Huey Helicopter right by the front entrance. The museum itself is pretty small but if you stop and read most of the stations you can spend a few hours there. It's basically a circle where it takes you through each stage of the war. Has pictures and some video as well. There are also real letters from service members to their families. There was a theatre but I didn't see anything going on there while I was there. There's also a small souvenir shop and vending machines for...