LANSING - Building trades unions are part of an effort to construct a memorial to the 2,649 people from Michigan who died during the Vietnam War.

Proportionally, more Michigan residents died in the conflict than in any other state - but there is no state memorial to honor them.

Enter the Vietnam Monument Commission of Michigan, which is proposing to build a memorial on a parcel of state land three blocks west of the State Capitol Building in the center of what would be called Capitol Park. The design integrates a 117-foot-long, ten-foot high arc of steel suspended three feet above the ground. The plan calls for the names of the dead to be inscribed on the panels, and the grounds will offer a place of quiet reflection.

"We know that a lot of people from Michigan served and gave their lives in Vietnam," said Michigan Building Trades Council Secretary-Treasurer Tom Boensch. "And a lot of our members are veterans. By supporting this monument, we're recognizing that the contributions of our Vietnam veterans are just as important as those of soldiers who served in Korea, World War II or World War I."

A state law adopted in 1992 established the one-acre monument site, and the design for the memorial was chosen from among 200 entries in a national competition. Boensch said the MBTC is attempting to help the Vietnam Monument Commission by encouraging contributions and securing union manpower when the time comes for construction.

A total of $2.4 million is needed to fund the project and The Christman Co. has been hired to manage the job. Keith King, chairman of the commission's public relations committee, said some major contributions in the last few months have brought the group tantalizingly close to its goal. About $200,00 more is needed before construction can start.

"State law says we can't start the project without having all money we need," King said. "We're hoping people will see how close we are and that we can make one last big push to reach our goal, especially since this is the 25th anniversary of the end of the war." Saigon fell on April 30, 1975.

Richard Eberhart, Wayne County captain for the commission, talked about the need for the monument at the Michigan Building Trades Legislative Conference in March. The Army veteran served in Korea, and nearly in Vietnam, too.

"I missed Vietnam, but I felt that our state owed a monument to those who gave their lives," he said.

For a $26.49 cent contribution - a penny for each Michigan life lost during the war - a donor gets a copper star with "2649" engraved in the center.

To make a tax-deductible contribution, send a check payable to the Michigan Vietnam Monument Commission, 611 West Ottawa, Lansing, MI 48013. For more information, call (800) 492-2649.

HERE'S A RENDERING of the proposed monument to honor Michigan's Vietnam War dead. It will be located in Lansing, just down the street from the State Capitol.