Canada

This is a first.

Today we are going International.

This memorial in Windsor, Ontario, Canada was built along the banks of the Detroit River which divides our two countries. It is actually south of Detroit and honors 103 Canadians including 7 MIAs.

The memorial is often referred to as The North Wall or Wall North. I have written previously, on this site, about Wall South and Wall West and you can find those by clicking on Florida or California respectively and scrolling back until you find them.

The memorial plaques are made of the same black granite that The Wall in DC is made from.

My understanding is that when it was built Canada had no memorials to those lost in Vietnam. The Detroit chapter of the Military Association of Concerned Veterans (MACV) wanted to honor our brothers from the north and created this memorial for them. Nearly 30,000 Canadians joined the U.S. Military to fight in Vietnam. This was illegal by Canadian law and each of these had to claim that they resided in a US city, perhaps this is why Canada had no memorials at the time.

Each year a wreath placing ceremony is held with representatives from Canad and the US, families, and supporters in attendance.

Since this memorial was completed I have read that Canada has created several and even has a Traveling Wall like the ones here. I have not seen any of these so am going on what I have been told or read. If you are aware of other memorials, as always, I would like to know about them.

Nearby is this beautiful American Flag, a Canadian flag similar to this one is on the other side of the memorial.

The memorial is located in Assumption Park right at the Ambassador Bridge connecting Detroit with Windsor.

I recently returned from Ireland where I was able to find two memorials that honor Irish citizens lost in 'Nam. That is an interesting story, so be watching for it in the not too distant future.

Next time, on December 4th, we will return to Colorado, so join me there as usual at 9:00am.

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