Veterans seek apology after memorial tree at Little Rock City Hall cut down

Local veterans are demanding answers after a memorial tree honoring Arkansans killed in the Vietnam War was cut down.

In November 1991, the local chapter of the Vietnam Veterans of America planted the memorial tree at Little Rock City Hall.

"We reached an agreement with the city and purchased the tree," Vietnam veteran James Stanley said. "It was a Virginia Pine."

Stanley says the names of veterans that paid the ultimate sacrifice were written on scrolls and placed in the ground when the tree was planted.

Since then, Stanley says he came back often to check on the tree.

"I was flabbergasted that the tree was removed," he said. "No one called us and said they were going to replace it with another tree."

Stanley says he turned to the city for answers.

"We called city call they never called us back," he said.

KATV reached out to the city of Little Rock and received this response:

"While the city has no record of the tree in question being a memorial to the brave veterans who proudly served and who are greatly appreciated, the City's Urban Forestry division had looked at the tree and recommended the removal due to illness. They noted it had increased the production of its pine cones, which is a sign of the last stages of the life of a tree. Had it not been removed it could have fallen or caused other damage at an intersection that sees thousands of cars a day drive by. There was no marker at the tree, nor were there any records at City Hall to indicate anything about the genesis of the tree. Longtime City Hall employees did not remember it being planted as a memorial. Crews working on the removal found no markings or anything at the site suggesting it was a memorial. The only tree on City property that has a sign indicating it was a memorial was planted in September 2002 as a September 11." -Lamor Williams, City of Little Rock

But KATV found an article in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette from November 12, 1991, confirming the tree was "planted as a memorial honoring all Arkansas veterans."

"There is no reason with archives and record keeping should they not know about it," Stanley said.

Even with the tree no longer there, Stanley says the meaning behind it still stands.

He says he's just asking the city for an apology.

"When you do something like this there is a price to be paid," he said. "That price is to recognize what you did was wrong."

Stanley says the local Vietnam veterans group is asking for the city to replace the tree.