Holidqy season 2021 #3

So, today is the third and final non memorial post for this year. In looking for something interesting to post I noticed that I had photographed a number of arches on various trips to Ireland. Arches seem to capture the attention of many folks and I thought they might be good to  post. I will identify them where I can. Some, were taken many years ago and, sadly, were not well documented.

Update: with the help of my sister-in-law we have been able to pinpoint the locations!!

This was taken at the ruin at the Rock of Cashel. Originally at governing center for the kings of Munster it later became a religious center. It was here that Oliver Cromwell killed more than 1000 citizens as he ransacked much of Ireland.

These, too, are from Cashel also known as Saint Patrick's rock as he is said to have baptized the first christian king in Ireland at this site.

The original buildings built in the 4th century CE are now mostly gone and the religious ones, built some century's later, are all that remain.

This final set are from the Rosserk Abby in county Mayo. Sitting at the edge of the Moy River this beautiful site was built by Franciscans who labored to educate those from the area.

That is it for now. Next time, on the 4th, we will return to New Jersey or Pennsylvania (whichever one I can get to the most quickly,) for a resumption of posts honoring Vietnam memorials. I apologize for the history lesson here, but I was a teacher for some 35 years and just can't resist the opportunity to do so.

To see Vietnam memorials from any state, please click a state name from the list on the left side of this page.

Christmas morning 2021

Most years I try to get down to The Wall for a photo of the tree that is erected there each year, but this year with all the Covid and some personal health issues I just didn't make it.

 

So, I pulled this pic of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund's (VVMF) page. I am not sure if that is OK, but I trust they will understand. 

I hope that you all are enjoying time with your loved ones in person or in spirit and that the new year will bring peace and better times to all.  

Next time, on the 30th, I will post one more non memorial post, so join me then and see what's up.

Again, happy holidays and seasons greetings to all.

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

Holiday season 2021 #1

If you have been on this journey with me for any length of time, you know that at this time of the year I take a little time away from memorials. We should all be celebrating, in whatever fashion we do, the return of the light.

Tomorrow is the shortest day of the year, the winter solstice, and mankind has for most, if not all, of our history has found a way to mark this and welcome the return of the sun.

The next couple of posts will not specifically deal with light except for the fact that that is what photography is all about, light verses dark.

No lessons, just pics that I like.

Chief Little Owl greets all those who visit Bethany Beach, Delaware. This one made from a hand chosen red cedar log from Alaska replaces ones that have deteriorated over the years. The first was placed in 1976.

 

 

This one is projected to last up to 100 years. The artist Peter Toth has placed one such totem in each of the states and several across Canada.

 

The area at his base is always planted with vibrantly colored flowers in season.

Here's wishing you and yours a happy and peaceful season, come back on the 25th for a Christmas greeting. Join me at 9:00am.

 

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

Massachusetts XXII

In my last posting from Massachusetts, I shared some pics from my friend Jay Korff and promised to share more in the future and so today it is time to do just that.

Jay, as mentioned in the last post from Natick, is a reporter with the local ABC affiliate in Washington, DC and over the course of years has become a friend. He visited Natick, MA and sent me these photos.

I love it when others send me information, or corrections or photos and am always open to these contributions.

 

 

The Natick site has a couple of other features.

One is dedicated to the POW/MIAs of our nation, those that should never be forgotten.

You may know that the US and Vietnam have been engaged in a multi-year project to identify and bring home the remaining MIAs from that war. the number has been greatly reduced over the years, but, there is still much work to be done. Currently, there are still of our comrades unaccounted for as the work continues. One must only wonder if the job will ever be completed.

Detail from above

There are nearly 1250 still unaccounted for as of September. I checked my own state and there are still 23. You can check your own state here:

https://www.dpaa.mil/Our-Missing/Vietnam-War/Vietnam-War-POW-MIA-List/

Nearby is this interesting take on the Vietnam Service Medal.

So, this ends my photos that Jay so kindly sent me, but it gives me the opportunity, once again, to invite anyone who has pictures of Vietnam memorials not found on this site to join Jay, and Mike Minnick, and others and send them to me. I will happily give you a photo credit and all the gratitude you can stand!

Next time, in keeping with my yearly tradition, I will post about things unrelated to 'Nam to try to keep some Joy in the Season. So join me on the 20th, at 9:00am, to see whats up!

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

California XXXVIII

Guadalupe is located about 3 1/2 hours north of Los Angeles along the Pacific coast. A town of fewer than eight thousand, they dedicated this memorial to the three from the area that were lost in 'Nam.

Many small towns, understandably, do not have individual memorials to every war. Guadalupe decided that our brothers from this particular war were to be honored with there own. Thank you, Guadalupe!

This memorial was dedicated in 2002 but it may surprise you that, nearly 20 years later' memorials to our lost brothers and sisters are still being built. There is a new one in Rome, NY and one, not yet completed in Nebraska. just too name a couple. If I ever get back on the road I hope to visit them and then bring them to you here. So, keep checking back to see whats next.

Next time, on the 15th, we will return to Massachusetts, so join me there, as usual, at 9:00am.

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

Virginia XXV

Traveling recently in southeast Virginia I was staggered by the beauty of the Autumn foliage. There at, seemingly, exactly the right time just added to my pleasure and fortune of finding a couple of Vietnam memorials, too.

Along the Pigg River at the foot of the Peter Saunders Bridge is this moving tribute to all who have served and those who have fallen in our wars. 

Rocky Mount, Va is located in Franklin County.

Listed here on the main memorial are the names of those lost in wars and the 1525 names honored on the pavers that make up the plaza honor vets from the area.

Our brothers, six of them, are remembered and honored here, too.

 

 

I always take the opportunity to point out the dates listed upon our many memorials. They are many and varied. I have seen beginning dates too numerous to list and ending dates as late as 1978.

Sometimes the beginning dates represent when the first casualty from the area took place or sometimes from the Gulf of Tonkin incident. Other times, sadly, it seems to be an attempt to rewrite history. For those who have not followed along on this journey, the first soldier killed in Vietnam was Tech. Sgt. Fitzgibbons who was lost in 1956. It took a number of years to have his name added to The Wall as his death fell outside the more accepted 1959 to 1975 span of the war. This was eventually corrected and he is now honored among the more than 58,000 others listed there.

Next time, on the 10th, we will revisit California, so join me there at 9:00am.

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

South Carolina VIII

I have visited Patriots Point in Charleston in the past and have posted several photos from the extensive Vietnam compound elsewhere on this site.

But, my friend Mike Minnick visited more recently and shared these pics of a memorial that was not there when I visited or somehow I just missed it. Stranger things have happened.

 

 

This dog tag memorial was placed in 2014 during a visit from the  AVTT Vietnam Wall memorial. Many visited and this memorial was permanently placed.

 

 

 

The individual tags of the 896 South Carolinians were placed by local Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts.

 

Next time, on the 5th of December, we will return to Virginia, so join me there at 9:00am.

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

Thanksgiving 2021

Take just a moment.... 

 
 

Next time, on the 30th, we will revisit the previously promised state of South Carolina, so join me there, as always, at 9:00am.

To visit memorials from any state, please click the state name on the left side of this page.

Thanksgiving 2021, Native American Vets

Thanksgiving is upon us once again and we have many things for which to be grateful. My list is most assuredly different from yours, but I think we should all agree that the service of Native Americans must be high on anyone's list.

So, today, I am going to hold back on the previously promised visit to South Carolina to address the service of Native Americans.

No group in America serves in our country's defense at a greater rate.

I have written and posted before about the National Native American Vietnam Memorial and you can find that elsewhere on this site. It is located in Neillsville,Wisconsin at a site called The Highground.

 

 

Today, however I want to share the newly dedicated National Native American Memorial in Washington DC.

I posted a couple of pics last November as it was about to be dedicated, but at the time, I could not gain access as it was mostly shrouded in preparation for the next days unveiling.

 

Just outside the Museum of the American Indian in Washington DC is the one year old Native American Veterans Memorial enclosed by a plethora of trees, shrubs, and water plants.

Here you can see the four lances with feathers, prayer clothes, and other mementos that people leave at the site. The green plant life on the surface of the water is Duck weed which will recede during the colder months. I am told there is a plan to remove it before next spring.

Among the many prayer clothes and other things left behind was this teddy bear.

Each of the Services is noted and honored at the entrance to the site.

This is a beautiful and long over due reminder of just how valiantly Native Americans have defended this country. It is striking in its gorgeous setting and in its simplicity, there are no names (those lost in Vietnam are listed upon the memorial in Wisconsin) and no wars listed.

Next time, on Thanksgiving Day I will be with family, I hope you are too. 

I will post a quick holiday greeting and then visit South Carolina on the 30th, so join me there,as usual, at 9:00am.

To visit Vietnam memorials from any state, please click on the state name on the left side of this page.

North Carolina XVII

 

Previous trips to North Carolina have mostly been in the eastern side of the state, but a recent trip to Greensboro for a family wedding provided an opportunity to see other more western sites. Greensboro is also the home of the Guilford County Veterans memorial which may be found elsewhere on this site.

Today, I want to share this site from right in the city of Greensboro. It sits at 301 N. Church Street and honors all from the area, over 600, who have died in our nations wars since WWII.

Plaques listing all who have "laid down their lives ..." are placed along the memorials edge.

 

Those from our efforts in 'Nam are listed here, too, all 77 of them.

The sculpture is called Metaphor, a famous work by artist Ogden Deal, is a twelve foot steel statue of a human figure stretching out its hands to the sky. Standing for nearly forty years, the statue is sponsored by the Greensboro Youth Council and installed at the intersection of Summit Avenue, East Lindsay Street and Church Street.

Next time, on the 21st, we will revisit South Carolina, so join me there, as always, at 9:00am.

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

Veteran's Day 2021

So, Veterans Day with its storied history, changes of dates and varied meanings and significance is upon us once more.

If you had asked me all those years ago shortly after leaving the army if I might be sitting here writing about this subject, I probably would have laughed.

I was not what most would call a military guy. Yeah, I was drafted, did my training and headed off to 'Nam, like nearly 3 million others, but it was not my calling. I didn't have any real problems, just not what I saw as a long term thing for me.

I come from a staunchly military family. Many uncles and great greats all served in various times. Mostly in the Navy. Family legend has it that we are related to Commodore Barry, the Father of the American Navy.

I, however, ended up in the Army, yet served in the Army's Navy. We trained at Norfolk and Ft. Eustis, so... in some ways, back to the Navy!

Unless you are a first time visitor to this site, you know that I concentrate on Vietnam memorials, but today I will share a couple of more general, all veterans memorials I have come across in my travels.

Harve de Grace, Maryland

Anthem, Arizona

Nome, Alaska

 

Gano, Oklahoma

St. Louis, Missouri

All of the above honor many veterans and their efforts in many wars and while these are but a very few, I hope they represent all veterans and the honor, gratitude and debt we as a nation owe them all.

I hope each of you who happen upon this are thanked today or that you thank a vet for all they have given. We have learned as a nation to separate the warrior from the war, so matter how you feel about any one particular effort, never forget that those who risked so very much deserve our respect and thanks.

Next time, on the 16th we will revisit North Carolina, so meet me there, as alwways at 9:00am.

To see other Vietnam memorial,s from any state, please click the state name on the left side of this page.

New York XXVI

Mike Minnick is a friend of mine and a superb photographer, he's one of those guys who rarely, if ever, manipulates a photo. He just has that good an eye and knows his stuff.

When in my last post I asked for pictures of memorials from others, he immediately sent me several.

The following are his pics of a memorial in Mount Morris, New York. Mount Morris is about 60 mikes east and a little south of Buffalo and as of 2010 had a population of fewer than 4500. AGAIN, I am stunned at what small towns do for their vets.

 

 

Like so many places that cannot afford memorials to individual wars, Mount Morris has created what is called a multi-war memorial, honoring many from many conflicts.

 

The large memorial just to the right of the star lists those from these wars who were lost in those efforts.

Seen here is what seems to be a later addition,the single name of the man lost in Vietnam.

 

Regardless, he is here, honored forever.

A nearby sign attempts to tell our story. It is a bit worn so...

Vietnam Conflict

The controversial war

Almost 9 million men and women

served in the military during this long

and unpopular war.Never losing a

major battle GIs sustained over

211,000 casualties, with 47,378 KIA.

While controversy at home continued,

it became evident that american

involvement had to end.

After the US military left, however,

the North vietnamese engaged in a 

blood bath in the south. It was to spill

over to the "killing fields" of Cambodia.

There is more here that I will post at a future date.

In the meantime, join me at 11:00 hour of the 11th day of the 11th month for a look at a few memorials dedicated to all veteran.

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

Massachusetts XXI

Natick, Massachusetts is a suburb of Boston, about 25 minutes west and a little south.

The town has made it a priority to ensure that those lost in Vietnam will be honored and remembered forever.

Known at the Natick 11 they are remembered here on this memorial but also by the naming of town squares for each of them.

The Natick 11 include, and honor, Dennis M. Poteat who was actually from North Carolina but, he was posted here and considered to be a member of the group.

This is not unheard of at all. I have written about one soldier, a Medal of Honor recipient, that I have found in at least three, maybe four memorials around the country. This gladdens me, that after the way many of us were treated upon coming home, that now so many are honored in so many places.

Next time I write about Massachusetts I will include the several other interesting components of this site.

These and the future postings from Natick are pictures taken by my friend Jay Korff. Jay is reporter with WJLA, an ABC affiliate in Washington DC. He did a story about this effort a few years ago which won 2 Emmys, 2 Edward R. Morrow Awards, and a Top Prize from the Associated Press Awards. All of this thrilling to me as you might guess, but the best thing is that we have stayed in touch, he has maintained an interest in this project and I consider him a friend.

Thank you Jay for your ongoing support and these pics!

These pictures are opening another chapter of A Means to Heal. In the very near future I will be posting additional photos by other people. Hopefully this will expand the range of memorials available to post, direct attention to others doing similar work and help compensate for my inability to travel during the pandemic.

I invite any reader who has photos of memorials not found on this site to get in touch. If I use your photos I will certainly give you a photo credit. There is an email on the left side of the page.

Next time, on the 6th, we will return to New York, so meet me there at 9:00am.

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

Maryland XXXIII

I have posted from Harve de Grace before and you can find that one elsewhere on this site, but I had read about a new memorial in the historic town but could not quite remember what it was about.

So, on a recent day trip to find new memorials for this site, I decided to take a chance and check it out.

After a little bungling around the beautiful town, visiting the original memorial, I finally had to ask someone. A very nice lady having her lunch along the river walk directed me to the new memorial.

It, too, is along the river walk and can be reached from Concord Street.

 

 

Since initial installation, better walking access and lighting have been added to the site.

 

The various panels all have specific meaning as you will see in the final picture.

Obverse

 

 

 

I realize that is not specifically a Vietnam memorial, but there were about 58,279 Gold Star Families from that effort so I choose to honor them with this post. My own family qualifies from WWII and the GWOT.

Next time, on November 1st, we will visit that memorial in Massachusetts I teased about in the post before this one, so meet me there, as always, at 9:00am.

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