When visitors pause in front of the Western Slope Vietnam War Memorial in Fruita, they will hear a short history of the monument, thanks to a $4,000 donation from a local veteran.
Jim Doody, the chief architect of the memorial, said a donation from local contractor Harold Elam allowed him to install a sound system on the belly of the Huey helicopter overlooking the memorial.
“It’s turned out good,” Doody said.
The nearly four-minute message, tripped by a motion sensor, overlays helicopter sounds and “Paint it Black” by the Rolling Stones. After several seconds a woman’s voice comes on, telling visitors about the memorial, Doody’s brother, Tom, who inspired the display, and how to donate to the memorial.
Doody said the audio plays once every eight minutes.
“This is just a neat way to enhance it,” he said.
