Agent Orange memorial in Sunset sought by Syracuse Vietnam War veteran largely complete

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Vietnam War veteran Larry Kerr's dream of an Agent Orange memorial is nearly complete.
The memorial, located in Sunset, honors those who suffered the effects of exposure to the defoliant.
Kerr, facing health issues from Agent Orange, spearheaded the fundraising and installation efforts.

SUNSET — Larry Kerr's dream of installing a large memorial to victims of Agent Orange during the Vietnam War is finally materializing, just as he faces more bad medical news.

"I'm trying to get this across the finish line," he said.

Kerr, who has suffered the effects of Agent Orange stemming from his U.S. Air Force service in Vietnam, has been pressing for years for a memorial. On Monday, the efforts took a significant step forward with installation of the last of the large black marble slabs on the monument containing the honorary messaging. "Wounded by dioxin, honored by all," the new section reads, in part.

A formal dedication will come later, probably around Veteran's Day, which is Nov. 11, but Kerr, who lives in Syracuse, is happy to finally see the monument take shape, though a few steps remain.

"It feels great," he said, calling the memorial at Sunset City Veterans Memorial Park the largest monument to Agent Orange victims in the country. "I've been through so many cancers in the Agent Orange with my heart disease and everything, that I've had something like this in mind for years and years."

Doctors recently discovered new tumors in his bladder, he said, which, if cancerous, would represent his third bout with cancer, on top of heart disease. He attributes the ailments to exposure to Agent Orange, a defoliant used by U.S. forces in the Vietnam War.

The Agent Orange memorial in Sunset sought by Syracuse Vietnam War veteran Larry Kerr is largely complete. Kerr, right, is pictured Monday at the installation of the last black marble slab on the opposite side of the monument. (Photo: Tim Vandenack, KSL.com)

Kerr helped spearhead the fundraising campaign for the Agent Orange memorial, getting permission from Sunset officials last year to place it in the city's small park dedicated to military veterans, which sits behind Sunset City Hall.

As far as Sunset Mayor Scott Wiggill knows, there's no other monument to Agent Orange victims anywhere else in the United States "that even comes close" to the size of the Sunset memorial. "It's a task of love for (Kerr), and it's been very exciting for me and the residents of Sunset to have this be a part of our veterans park," Wiggill said, on hand for the installation of the marble slab on Monday.

Larry Kerr of Syracuse has pressed for installation in Utah of a memorial to victims of Agent Orange from the Vietnam War. The July 8, 2025, photo shows a smaller version of the memorial outside his home. (Photo: Tim Vandenack, KSL.com)

According to an informational kiosk that accompanies the memorial, around 750,000 U.S. military veterans have died due to exposure to Agent Orange. The chemical was used to defoliate trees and plants in Vietnam, thus reducing enemy cover, and to destroy enemy crops.

Though Agent Orange has taken a toll on him, Kerr hasn't let up his efforts to install the memorial.

"Larry has been a force of nature," said Louis Lasater, of West Point, who helped with monument design work. "This wouldn't be here if it wasn't for his efforts and his persistence."

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