Virginia XXII

A bit more than an hour south of Washington D.C., straight down I-95, is Fredericksburg, Virginia.

Located in a small park formed by the crossing of Liberty, Barton, and George Streets is the Fredericksburg Area War Memorial.

Consisting of six vertical slabs and a topping stone it forms a slight semi-circle dedicated to the fallen from several military involvements.

The names of those who sacrificed all are inscribed on the inside faces of stone. As you can see, there is plenty of empty space for future heroes.

We, 21 in all, are not forgotten, our brothers are listed here among the over 400 inscribed and honored upon these walls.

We will return to this are in the future as I have found several more memorials in my latest journeys, but next time, on the 4th of July, we will spend a moment thinking about all that has brought us to the present.

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

Texas XVII

 Mineral Wells, Texas is the home of the National Vietnam War Museum, although several places and museums claim that distinction. How a museum is designated "The National.." is beyond my pay grade, I'll leave that for others to sort out.

What I can say is that this place, along Highway 180, west of Fort Worth is quite amazing.

While it contains many interesting components, artifacts, gardens, equipment, and walls, today I will concentrate on one of the first "Walls" placed.

It is a replica of the Camp Holloway Memorial Wall which was constructed in Pleiku after the death of CWO Charles Holloway, the first American killed at the camp. He died in December of 1962.

 

By 1965 several more Americans were lost and a wall was built to honor and remember them. It was dedicated in February of 1966 by General William Westmoreland.

 

It is said to have been the only memorial built to US Servicemen in Vietnam.

If you have followed this site for any length of time, you are aware of the ongoing conversation about which Vietnam memorial was the first.

 

Over the years I have seen many and have tried to answer that question and as of today, the Charlottesville, Virginia Vietnam memorial is the oldest I have found. It was dedicate in April of 1966.

It remains the oldest that I know about stateside, but The Camp Holloway Memorial Wall predates Charlottesville by a couple of months. The Wall in Pleiku is long gone but lives on in Mineral Wells. Interesting.

Charles Holloway is among the 254 Americans honored, the two below are from my state, Maryland.

 

Mineral Wells is about 45 miles west of Fort Worth on Route 180. It has grown greatly since I visited and now has many more things to see including a museum. When I was there the museum was simply a trailer that was locked with no one around. Their efforts are impressive and I hope to revisit sometime in the near future. In the meantime, I will post more about this interesting site in the future. 

Next time, on the 29th, we will come back east to visit Virginia. Join me there at 9:00am.

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

Pennsylvania XXXIII

When I am on a picture journey I always try to take what I think of as location identifying pictures as it is often many, or sometimes years, later when I actually post the memorial photos here.

Sometimes I forget and later have to beg my readers to help me identify the location of a particular site. Often they do.

It looked as if today's memorial was going to fall into the "where the heck was that?" category.

I knew I was in the Scranton, Pennsylvania area when I took it but that was about all I could remember. I searched and searched my usual sites for information but was coming up empty. I asked my friends who were from that area if they knew of the memorial: nothing.

So, I pulled one of the four names on the memorial and did some searches for any info and lo and behold I found it.

Located on the corner of Washington Avenue and W. Broad street in West Hazelton is this memorial that, it turns out, had just been dedicated days prior to my visit.

Dedicated on May 26th, 2019, it honors forever, the four men from the area who made the ultimate sacrifice.

These men, like the 58,279 others, who gave up their hopes, dreams and futures for their country, for a country many of us had never even heard of before the mid '60s, will always be remembered and honored here.

Rest in peace, brothers, rest in peace.

Next time, on the 24th, we will return to Texas, so meet me there, as usual, at 9:00am.

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

Oregon XVIII

I have been trying for quite some time to find a way to use these photos in a post. They are just not that good: it was raining, very near dark and I just couldn't get the settings just right. So, every time I upgraded my software, I tried again to salvage them.

 

I have finally decided that they deserve to be seen, not because of the quality of the pics but because of the quality of the men and women the memorial represents and honors. My inabilities should not prevent that.

The memorial is found in Polk County, Oregon, at the Restlawn Memorial Gardens off Oak Grove Road near Salem.

 

The memorial is nestled in among thousands of markers to those lost, if not by war, then certainly to their friends and families.

 

 

As you can see the inscription is lost to my poor abilities but I was able to locate other pictures while searching ou the location.

 It reads as follows:

 "IN MEMORY OF
ALL VIETNAM VETERANS

This memorial was erected in memory of the young individuals who went to war as kids and lost their youthful dreams, and some their lives for a cause - freedom and honor - and came back as men with the
horrors of war instilled in every fiber of their being and were never given the respect and honor they so dearly deserved from the public or the United States government.

God will one day judge our actions. Until then, He will shine on the lives of each veteran now and forever more because He was with each of them in Vietnam. He is the only One that truly knows what they went through and are living with every day."

While some of this sentiment has changed or softened over the years, for every veteran I know, these words still hold true and dear.

The silver lining should one actually exist is that today's younger vets are greeted more warmly and with greater respect regardless of what we might actually think or their particular war.

Next time, on the 19th, we will revisit Pennsylvania, so join me there at 9:00am.

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

North Carolina XVI

A few years back, Steve and I attended a Welcome Home in Fayetteville, the home of fort Bragg and the Green Berets.

It was quite an event and I have posted about it before on this site, but I remembered recently that there was a an adjacent area with several memorials within it. I looked up this one tonight.

Called the Freedom Memorial, this is one of the remembrances dedicated to Vietnam and our lost brothers and sisters.

 Many names from Fayetteville and other areas are honored here.

Some detail from the etched scenes, naturally you would expect to see an image of a Green Beret in their hometown.

As always, I was happy to find these pics from the place where I did my basic training all those years ago, 1966.

Next time, we will take another look at Oregon, so meet me there at 9:00am on June, 14.

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

New York XXV

Before I left New York the last time, I checked to see if could locate any memorials as I was driving  home. I was happy to find a memorial on Staten Island that I could visit while heading south.

I got off the bridge at the right exit and proceeded to find my way.

It turns out that the memorial was actually located on a corner but within the grounds of a National Guard Armory.

There was absolutely no place to park even though I drove around for a while. So, I pulled up into the driveway/entrance to the Armory and was immediately met by a guard.

She approached by car and told me in mo uncertain terms that I was to turn around and get off the property NOW. I tried to explain that all I wanted was to take a photo of the memorial, just inside the fence, but she was having none of it. She repeated, her hand was actually on the her holster, that I was to get off the property ( I know what a threat I must have been, 70+ years old and all.) She did allow me to turn around, but stood there the whole time watching with a keen eye. I have to admit that I have wondered since what the hell must be going on in that NG Armory, but I digress.

So, reluctantly, I drove away. But, while slowed at the traffic light on the corner I grabbed my camera and fired off a few shots out the passenger side window as I drove by the site. They are not what I would have liked to have gotten, but here they are.

 The memorial is located on the corner of Manor Road and Martling Avenue in what is called Vietnam Veterans Memorial Park (even though, apparently no one is allowed in.)

 

Placed by Vietnam Veterans of America it honors the 84 or 85, I've seen both numbers, who were lost to us in Nam.

I will, at some point get back there and get better ones and will update them here.

Next time, on the 9th, we will venture back to North Carolina. So, as always, join me there at 9:00am.

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