Wichita ? A memorial honoring Americans and South Vietnamese who fought in the Vietnam war has been installed on the banks of the Arkansas River in Wichita.

Tony Housley, left, and Toben Mosier place a bronze sculpture of an American soldier and a South Vietnamese soldier at the Vietnamese American Community Memorial in Veterans Memorial Park Friday, Apr. 20, 2012, in Wichita, Kan. Babs Mellor, the lead sculptor on the project, said the statue depicts the side-by-side partnership of American and Vietnamese soldiers.

Several hundred people gathered Sunday for a private dedication of the Vietnamese American Community Memorial. A public dedication is planned in July.

The Wichita Eagle reports (http://bit.ly/InUEHj ) that the memorial depicts two soldiers, one American and one Vietnamese. It also includes a plaque noting the sacrifices of Americans and South Vietnamese who fought together in the war.

The memorial was paid for by Wichita’s South Vietnamese community.

It created some controversy because some American veterans objected to it being placed in Veterans Memorial Park. The memorial was instead installed near the park.