Pennsylvania XXII

This will be the second or third time I have written something about Bristol Borough in Pennsylvania.

This time I will show you a more general veterans memorial dedicated to all from the area who have served.

It is really quite beautiful.

As great as this memorial is, I can find very little about it. I know that it was originally a WWII memorial that has been expanded to include all.

These panels honor  POW's, Purple Heart recipients, MIA's and Women in the Military.

I may be mistaken, but I think the names listed on the plaques are those who served in the various services, while the names in the stars, below, are those who were lost.

Bricks are inlaid all around the surrounding plaza and these are more specific to individuals and the wars in which they served.

It is very unusual to find a town, or borough in this case, that goes so far out of it's way to honor those who have served. I think special recognition for Bristol is well deserved.

Next time, on the24th, we will return to South Dakota, so, as usual, meet me there at 9:00am.

To see other memorials from Pennsylvania, or any other state, click on the state name on the left side of this page.

Oregon XVI

While driving through Oregon we stopped at a fast food joint and got talking to the folks there. One of them asked (as someone nearly always does) if we knew about the memorial in Hubbard? She told us it was nor too far from where we were and that it was on the way to our next planned destination.

Well, of course, we went and while it is a nice memorial, I didn't see its particular connection to Vietnam. Other than the names on the plaza stones, 'Nam is not mentioned anywhere.

The memorial specifically to Marion E. Carl has quite some detail about his remarkable career, but not a word about Vietnam.

Detail from above photo

 I did some research on him and was just astounded by his achievements.

Among these are his service in Vietnam. He was well along in his career by this time but still flew numerous combat missions in both choppers and jets. He, also, refused all personal medals for his service in 'Nam

In 1964 he was promoted to brigadier general; in 1965, he took the First Marine Brigade to Danang, South Vietnam. Despite his seniority, he repeatedly flew combat missions helicopter gunships and in jet fighters.

Take a couple of minutes and read more about him here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marion_Eugene_Carl

It is somewhat ironic that a man can serve his whole career in the military, get more medals than you can count, hold various records for flight and then, in the end, be killed in his own home by an intruder. Read all about it at the site listed above.

Next time, on the 19th, we will return to Pennsylvania, so meet me there, as always, at 9:00am.

To see other memorials from Oregon, or any other state, click the state name on the left side of this page.

New York XIII

You may recall that I recently found an old buddy from 'Nam and that I went a spent a few days with him. We visited a number of memorials in his area and eventually we found our way back to his hometown.

As we drove by a park in the town, he commented that it had been the site of the towns Vietnam memorial for quite some time and that the town had his name on it as KIA. He joked that he  had to drive past the damn thing every day!

Well, the town built a new memorial on the lawn of the Town Hall and this time they got it right.

The flags you see covering the lawn each have a of a vet attached to them and they may be purchased as a fund raiser for the town.

Huntington is small enough that they are able to list the names of all that served, so my buddy's name is listed correctly on this one.

Adjacent to the wall there is one of the very few memorials I have seen  dedicated solely to women who served.

Surrounding a small planting area are individual plaques like the one above to individual wars.

The memorial may be found at t e Huntington Veterans Plaza on the lawn of the Town Hall in Huntington, New York, on Long Island.

Next time, on the 14th, we will revisit Oregon, so join me there at 9:00am.

To see additional memorials from New York, or any other state, click the state name on the left side of this page.

July 4th, 2017

The Independence Day celebration is always a bit of a mixed bag for me.

I remember as a kid how much it meant to me and my anticipation and worry about if my folks would take me somewhere to see fireworks? Usually, they did, but I always worried.

As an adult, it seems important to continue these traditions and to honor those that have allowed us to retain our independence. Vietnam and more recent wars  have never really seemed to be about our independence and we all know the questions, right or wrong, about whether or not we should be engaged in wars of dubious intent and outcome.

As a Grandparent, I want my grand kids to know and understand what Independence Day is all about and to enjoy their thrill at all the festivities.

As a 'Nam vet, well that is a completely different matter all together.

I hate the noise, and God, I hate the smell, and what it has all come to represent for me. So, each year I wrestle with the question of what am I going to do?

I don't want to go.

I know many vets that feel the same way.

But, the grandchildren love it, just as I did all those many summers ago, How many years will I get to treasure their joy as they grow up and away? Also, I do not ever want to pass on my anxiety, so I work to keep it masked from them.

So, today, I will swallow what I feel and take my girls to the fireworks and concert in our area and watch them laugh and thrill to it all.

And, I will hope that they are never burdened with their own memories and doubts.

I hope you all have a great day.

Jefferson statue at Williamson, Va.

OK, on a lighter note, a quiz.

When was the Declaration of Independence signed?

July 4th, right?

Well, no.

It was signed on July 2nd and sent to the printer. He didn't get around to printing it until the 4th and, hence, used that date. So, the rest as they say.....

Detail from Jefferson's writing

Next time on July 9th, we will retrace our steps to New York, so join me there at 9:00am.

To see Vietnam memorials from any state just click the state name on the left side of this page.

Maryland XV

Chesapeake Beach is a small town nestled on the shores of the Chesapeake Bay. The town wanted to create a remembrance for those from the area that at made the ultimate sacrifice for their country.

A small piece of land, right on the water became available and a memorial was designed and built. There are markers for each service and after 9/11 markers for first responders were added.there is a sign labeled Honor Roll with a list of names but no designations of which war these people fought in or there status is given. there are stars next to a couple of the names and one assumes that these were lost, but it is not clear.

Just feet beyond the main wall of the memorial rests a memorial specifically to Vietnam.

The Vietnam memorial donated by Nam Knights lists no names, just the dedications and the map and years of the war.

I know I may sound like a broken record, but once again I am astounded by what some small towns step up and do for their soldiers. One could assume that since no names are listed here that perhaps no one from Chesapeake Beach was lost in 'Nam, and yet, they, a town of about 3,000, with the help of Nam Knights of America, Old Line Chapter, have honored the many.

The memorial site may be found at the intersection of  Rte 260 and  Chesapeake Beach Road.

Next time, on the 4th, I hope to have a special post, check back then to see what is up.

To see additional memorials from Maryland, or any other state, click the state name on the left side of this page,

Georgia

Last week I returned to Atlanta to find an eternal flame about which I had read an article. As so often seems to be the case when researching these things the info I had turned out to be incorrect. After driving somewhat aimlessly for a bit, I decided to go into the capitol building itself and see if I could get some more accurate information.

The original article said that the flame was on the grounds of the capitol building but after circumventing it and not finding it, just to be sure, I went in side.

The Georgia State Trooper manning the desk could not have been nicer, but he was a bit unsure about what I was looking for so he called over his colleague and we determined that it was not far away and they gave me directions.

His help took me, once again, to the Pete Wheeler Georgia War Veterans Memorial Plaza where the Georgia Vietnam memorial is located. It turns out that the flame had been relocated some time fairly recently.I have written, previously about the Georgia Vietnam memorial and Pete Wheeler and you can find that elsewhere on this site.

Also, to my great surprise, we came upon the original Georgia Vietnam memorial, now located, too, at the same site. I am always thrilled when I find something I didn't expect on this journey.

This nearby sign gives some explanation.

Adjacent to this historic memorial is the eternal flame that began this particular journey. Each of the four faces honors a different war.

When I first visited this site a number of years ago it was so cold I had trouble getting shots that I liked. This time the new photos of the Georgia Vietnam Memorial are better and perhaps I will post them here in the future.

For now, next time we will make a trio back to Maryland, so join me there as usual at 9:00am on the 29th of June.

To see additional memorial from Georgia, or any other state, click the state name on the left side of this page.

Connecticut XII

Windsor Locks, Connecticut is one of those very few towns that builds memorials even if they have not lost anyone in the war.

This memorial, dedicated to those that served, sits at Memorial Hall on the corner of Ct 140 and Ct 159 in Windsor Locks, among several others that do list the names of their lost.

Just recently, however, I ran across a name not, as I said, listed, so I feel it is appropriate to list it here.

SMAJ John R. Hubbard

Oddly, as I read the names of those that served on the plaque, I did not find SMAJ Hubbard's name. These things happen as I have mentioned in other posts. I have rarely, if ever, seen a memorial that has not been updated after its completion. I mentioned a few posts back that three more names were added to The Wall this past May (2017) bringing the total to 58,318. the Wall was dedicated in 1982, so we have been correcting it ever since, 37 years and we do not know if these last three will be the last, probably not.

Next time, on the 23rd, I will have just returned from Georgia and Alabama so I hope to have some new pictures for you. So, join me then, on the 23rd at 9:00am to see if I found anything new.

To see additional pictures from Connecticut, or any other state, click the state name on the left side of this page.