New Hampshire IX

Some days you just cannot predict what will happen. I was in Nashua, New Hampshire on one of my very first trips to find Vietnam memorials. I was truly flying by the seat of my pants as to how to do this. Unable to find the memorial I was looking for, I walked into City Hall and into the Mayor's office. Needless to say, I didn't get to see the Mayor, but I did get to meet his Administrative Assistant and boy was that lucky!

She not only went well out of her way to help me locate the memorial, she also hooked me up with one of the guys responsible for it. I talked with him at some length and he told me that the original memorial had been built down by a creek and was eventually pretty much forgotten about. After trying unsuccessfully to get it cared for, he and a couple of other vets took it upon themselves to change things and the current site is the result. Thank you to each of these kind folks who helped me get started on this journey and for honoring those nearly forgotten heroes.

To make a long story at little shorter, the memorial was eventually moved to it's current location and a new was was added at the same spot.

The park is now The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Park and is home to Cal Ripkin Baseball as well as the memorials.

The original, smaller memorial was moved to this new location.

Plaque detail

The newer memorial, added in 2008, lists the names of all 18 from the Nashua area who were lost.

So, the journey has continued, and grown, to where we are today. I have visited every state at least once, some many more, and have visited somewhere around 500 memorials. The journey is not over. I have leaving soon to return to Colorado, then Nevada, then Maine, Oregon, and Washington, who knows after that?

Next time, however, we will revisit New Jersey. Join me on the 28th at 9:00am.

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