Saturday, June 28, 2014

Louisiana IX

These are additional photos from the memorial in Avondale, Louisiana and a continuation of the previous post.

The memorial has lots of detail and I thought it would be interesting to include some of it for you to see.


The above pic depicts the ferrying of 1000 ARVN troops to a new location.


This pic names the operation "Chopper" and says that it took p;ace in 1962.


Some of the major battles are listed here, including a few of those not so often mentioned.


This field piece stands in what is called the Garden of Honor.


Once again, The Field Cross, but also with what to me is a more modern helmet. Does anyone know if these helmets were used in 'Nam? Did they come in after I was there, 1967- '68? I would love to know, because it just seems wrong, sloppy, to me if this is incorrect.

Next time, on July 3rd, we will visit Maine, so join me there at 9:00am.

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

Monday, June 23, 2014

Louisiana VIII

I am always on the lookout for a memorial to become the "official" memorial of a state that does not have one. I have written before about the two memorials in New Orleans and several others throughout the state, but none of these are designated by Louisiana as the "Official" Vietnam memorial.


One of the criteria I use when trying to decide which memorials to include on these pages is; "Does it list names?" If a site lists all the names from a state, then that goes a long way towards my being comfortable calling it an "Official" memorial.



South of new Orleans, about 15 miles, is the Resthaven Park Cemetery and in 2012, just such a memorial was dedicated.

It names the 882 KIA and the 38 MIAs from Louisiana. So far, the only one I have found that does this. I have mentioned before that the one at the Super Dome has been reported to list names, but in my several visits to the site, I have never found them. Here, there are listed and a number of etched scenes that will be familiar to vets and others on either of the two upright stones that make up this memorial.



Called the Louisiana Vietnam Veterans Reflections Monument, it stands, slightly raised in the cemetery. This was a good thing the day I was there as most of the cemetery was under water, (Not uncommon in many places Louisiana, at times) In addition, there are several pieces of military equipment nearby, there, too are from 'Nam.



Located on Highway 90 in Avondale, the exact address is 3450, although it is easy to find once in the area. On 90, coming from N.O. it is on the right side of the road.

So, while this is not an "Official" memorial, it is the closest I have found.

Next time, I will share a few more photos from this site. Join me there on the 28th at 9:00am.

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

Wednesday, June 18, 2014

Indiana VI



Along the Ohio River in Evansville, Indiana rests a classic memorial to those from the area lost in Vietnam. Polished black granite fashioned in the manner of The Wall in D.C. forces you to look at yourself while you ponder the many names, deeds, and lives honored here.


Located at Chestnut Street and Riverside Avenue adjacent to a Combat Wounded Memorial (Purple Heart Memorial) no date of placement or dedication is listed, only the stark white engraved names.


I was pleased to see that the truth has been honored by listing some lost in Cambodia; something that was denied for years.

Interesting, too, is the helmet on the etched Field Cross. It looks to me to be a more modern helmet, perhaps from Iraq or Afghanistan.  I am not sure if this was done purposely or was an oversight of some kind. Strange.


Another anomaly is that every site I read about this memorial says that 55 names are listed, but when you count them there are 65. I know that these changes are happening all the time (we just added one in my county last week) but I think it is odd that no one has updated any of the several sites I visited to try to verify one number or the other.

Next time, on the 23rd, we will, once again, visit Louisiana. Join me there at 9:00am.

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

Friday, June 13, 2014

Illinois XII

This small, yet, elegant marker is in a public park in downtown Wheaton, Illinois. Located at the corner of Karlskoga Ave. and Hale Street, it is easily found and entered through its beautiful gate.



Fourteen of Wheaton's best are honored here.





Their names are not listed upon the marker, so I have included them for you. If you click on a name you will be taken to a page with more info about the soldier.

ANDERSON, GREGORY


BLASEN, RICHARD


DONNAL, JOHN


GIBSON, DONALD


GREGOIRE, JOHN


GUSTAFSON, EDWARD


KNABB, KENNETH


KOCH, FRANKLIN


ODOM, VERN


OLSEN, FLOYD


POOLER, JOHN


VAN, DUYN


VANDEN, EYKEL










There was next to no information available about this memorial and, as always, I would love to hear from someone who knows anything about it. There is an email on the left side of this page so let me hear from you about this site or any of the others sites on the blog, I like to know you are out there!

Next time, on the 18th, join me at 9:00am, when we will revisit Indiana.

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

Sunday, June 8, 2014

Idaho IV



 Veterans Memorial State Park in Boise honors all who have served throughout our history. It is a beautiful place with numerous remembrances. Among them are a Combat Wounded Memorial, often called the Purple Heart Memorial, Pearl Harbor, Korea and Wake Island memorials. The most striking one, to me at least, is this POW/MIA memorial. Located at 930 N. Veterans Parkway, one can follow the Patriots Walk through this hauntingly beautiful place.


It is not clear, to me, that these men are POW/MIAs, yet that is the name of the memorial. All of the dates on the 10 POW bracelet like markers, on the left, below the POW/MIA plaque, are from the Vietnam era, so, it is a Vietnam memorial, too.

One hopes, but does not know, that the two missing from the list are among those recovered in the ongoing joint repatriation efforts of our two countries. I left a message for the folks who dedicated this spot, but thy did not return my call.

  

The Eagle seems to be guarding the flag, the names and the memory of those  honored here. the last line of the dedication plaque, above,  reads "of the Idaho POW-MIA, inc.


This is a beautiful place and I only "discovered" it as I was checking out of my hotel, headed to the airport to leave. The guy at the desk pointed me to it, only a short drive from the hotel, but I had never seen anything about it in my ongoing research. So, many thanks to that gentleman. I am sure that I have mentioned before that I have learned to allow for some extra time on these trips as it always seems that I meet someone who can point me in a direction, previously unconsidered.

Next time,we will return to Illinois, so join me at 9:00am on the 13th of June.

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


Tuesday, June 3, 2014

Florida IX

This is the second post from Tampa and the site is not the largest I have ever visited, but it does have an awful lot of things to see.

Detail from reverse of the Wall

 The Huey has a sign on its side remembering one of its own.



The Cobra has a number of plaques just beneath it to honor some of its partners in 'Nam.


The women lost in 'Nam are not forgotten, either. I wonder if you know that one of the eight women killed was an Irish citizen who came here to to join our efforts in-country? She is one of many Irish who did this and their story is told elsewhere on this site.


Numerous pavers have been placed to honor specific individuals.



Next time, we will visit, Idaho, again. So, join me on the 8th of June, as always, at 9:00am.

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