Sandoval County's Vietnam War monument will be unveiled Saturday at 1 p.m. at the county courthouse in Bernalillo, and although the project has elicited positive reactions, some still think the honor is 30 years too late.

The brainchild of Pena Blanca resident Larry Hurtado, the monument is a version of the Vietnam Wall in Washington, D.C., with a southeastern feel. The 20-foot-long curved wall will feature granite plaques bearing the names of each Sandoval County native that served in Vietnam. Currently, there are 285 names.

Like the monument, the dedication ceremony also promises to be personal. After posting the colors, each veteran's name will be called out; that person, or a family member, will place a ribbon next to his or her name. A week before the ceremony, Hurtado was happy with the way the project had come together.

"Everything seems like it's coming up perfect," he said.

Volunteers Fred and Cindy Dimas of Rio Rancho built the wall, and a complementary bronze statue will likely be added on Memorial Day 2007.

County commissioner Bill Sapien, who has worked with Hurtado on the project for more than a year, said Vietnam veterans did not receive the honor they deserved. If all the congressional medals that were earned had been awarded, that war would have seen more than any other war.

"Uncommon valor became a commonplace occurrence," he said.

Although Sapien served in the Army Reserve and the National Guard, he was never called into Vietnam.

"We just lucked out," he said.

Those who didn't "luck out" and were sent never received the welcome they deserved, something Sapien wants to remedy.

"I'm hoping this will bring some closure to this episode of their lives and welcome them home," he said.

So far, there have only been positive reactions to the memorial.

"The majority of (the veterans) just feel very good about it, a real sense of inclusion that they never felt before," he said.