Utah VIII

As I have previously posted, just a little south of Salt lake City is West Valley. The Utah Cultural Celebration Center is located here and it is home to a memorial to the American and Vietnamese soldiers who fought side by side in the hopes of bring independence, peace, and freedom to what was South Vietnam.

In continuance of my Faces of Remembrance series, I feature these faces today.

This is the American

This is the Vietnamese

I will note here that it is unusual for sculptors of these types of memorials to use the likenesses of actual people in their representations. As you might well imagine, doing so could lend itself to legal issues down the road. Sometimes a composite is created of various parts of several individuals. I could find no indication that this was what was done here.

Next time, on the 2nd of March, we will revisit Virginia, so meet me there, as always, at 9:00 am.

To see additional memorials from Utah, or any other state, please click a state name for the list at the left side of this page. 

I will ask, as I do at the end of nearly every post now, for anyone who has pictures of Vietnam memorials not seen here to please send them to me. I will give you full photo credit for the pic and any information about it you may know. Check your state, or anywhere you may have visited, from the list at the left, or any place else for that matter. Please send them to the email at the left or directly to me at Ldddad@comcast.net. Thanks.

UPDATE: I did not realize just how poorly these pics were going to post. They are crops from larger pictures and are disappointing to me. My apologies.

Pennsylvania XLIII

It has been a little while since I featured a face in my ongoing Faces of Remembrance series, so I thought today that I would share one from Pennsylvania. Pottstown to be specific.

I have posted about this particular memorial a couple of times before and you can check those out here and here.

But for today, just the face.

As is so often the case, the sculptor was able to capture the "thousand yard stare" of a guy who has just seen too much.

Next time we visit Pennsylvania, I will share a completely different example of how we are depicted. A somewhat startling view of a face from another site.

Next time, on the 26th, we will return to Utah, so join me there as usual at 9:00 am.

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

I will ask, as I do at the end of nearly every post now, for anyone who has pictures of Vietnam memorials not seen here to please send them to me. I will give you full photo credit for the pic and any information about it you may know. Check your state, or anywhere you may have visited, from the list at the left, or any place else for that matter. Please send them to the email at the left or directly to me at Ldddad@comcast.net. Thanks.

North Carolina

Returning to North Carolina is almost like coming home. I did my basic at Fort Bragg in 1966 and is always my first memory/association with the state.

I travel here fairly often and on a recent wedding trip found my way into Broadway. In the beautiful Broadway Park is this magnificent tribute to all from North Carolina who have been called to duty.

Fronted by this octagonal gazebo the park pays homage to hundreds, if not many more. Some of the plaques have names as far back as the Civil War.

The North Carolina Veterans Memorial seeks to demonstrate the service of many generations.

 

These plaques are just some of the many found here. I could not find out how they were grouped as many of the others on site are very different. these, there are eight of them with hundreds of names, are very different from some of the others in their design. I will feature some of those in a later post.

These are alphabetical, but so are all the others of these eight. As always, if you know more about this park, I would love to hear from you. I will, certainly, add or correct anything I have here. Many of you have helped me out in the past and I hope I will hear from someone about this.

Next time, on the 21st we will return to Pennsylvania, so join me there, as always, at 9:00 am.

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

In addition to my above request, I will ask, as I do at the end of nearly every post now, for anyone who has pictures of Vietnam memorials not seen here to please send them to me. I will give you full photo credit for the pic and any information about it you may know. Check your state, or anywhere you may have visited, from the list at the left, or any place else for that matter. Please send them to the email at the left or directly to me at Ldddad@comcast.net. Thanks.

New Mexico XXVII

 

Outside the Luna Mimbres Museum on Hemlock Street in Deming is a Veterans Park and there are, at least, two markers to remember and honor our efforts. I featured one of these in an earlier post that you can see here.

Today, the other one.

I read an article today, that was dated 2017, that said that a new, more recognizable, memorial was being sought, but I have been unable to find any additional information. I visited this park within the last year so, I cannot guess what might have happened to the idea of anew memorial.

As always, if you know anything, let me know and i will update here.

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

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

I will ask, as I do at the end of nearly every post now, for anyone who has pictures of Vietnam memorials not seen here to please send them to me. I will give you full photo credit for the pic and any information about it you may know. Check your state, or anywhere you may have visited, from the list at the left, or any place else for that matter. Please send them to the email at the left or directly to me at Ldddad@comcast.net. Thanks.

Massachusetts XXXV

While in Boston last fall, I had my first encounter with Uber. For all the hype and my high (yet, untested expectations,) it did not go well.

First, the driver could not seem to negotiate the access road to the building I was in front of. He missed the entrance more than once, but eventually figured it out.

So, OK, I told him where I was going and off we went. So far, so good.

I gave very specific instructions as to where I needed to go, so when he pulled into a parking area and said, pointed ahead of the car and said " I don't know exactly where it is, but it is in there, a local park.

Well, fine. I started to walk around the park, looking for signs or any indication of where the memorial might be. Nothing. I started asking strangers if they knew of the memorial and to a person they did not.

Finally, a very nice couple walking their dogs pulled out phones and spent quite some time trying to help. We got a rough estimation of the location and off I went. I was (and am) very grateful.

The distance was well over a mile away from where this guy dropped me off. I had walked a half a mile or so in the wrong direction, looking and was PO'd to say the least, but figured I could walk it. 

Big mistake. I have some mobility issues and should not have pushed my luck. I was so mad at Uber and this clown that I (stupidly and stubbornly) refused to call them again. 

Lesson learned and I must say that the next few experiences with the service were flawless.

So, enough whining, here is the memorial that I ultimately found.

The East Boston Vietnam Memorial is located in a small park ( a different one!) on Liverpool Street and resembles the Wall in D.C., as so many do.

Entrance from Liverpool Street

Ten men are honored here from among the 58,281 lost or missing from our efforts in Vietnam.

Next time, on the 11th, we will revisit New Mexico. Join me there, as always, at 9:00 am.

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

I will ask, as I do at the end of nearly every post now, for anyone who has pictures of Vietnam memorials, not seen here, to please send them to me. I will give you full photo credit for the pic and any information about it you may know. Check your state, or anywhere you may have visited, from the list at the left, or any place else for that matter. Please send them to the email at the left or directly to me at Ldddad@comcast.net. Thanks.

Maryland XL

Creagerstown, Maryland was founded in 1750 and served as a crossroads for travelers and goods. It is affectionately known as the "town four miles from everywhere" as it lies that distance from four different towns.

A town of about 1400 people, its growth was stunted by a major fire in the early 1900s.

However, they have, like so many small towns, determined to honor their vets.

This beautiful little site sits on Main Street.

No names are listed here. A search of "The Wall of Faces" from the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Foundation displays no names from Creagerstown. So, the good people here simply honor all those lost.

 

 

 

I am, once again, mightily impressed by what small towns manage to do for their vets.

Next time, on the 6th, we will return to Massachusetts, so join me there, as always, at 9:00 am.

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

I will ask, as I do at the end of nearly every post now, for anyone who has pictures of Vietnam memorials not seen here to please send them to me. I will give you full photo credit for the pic and any information about it you may know. Check your state, or anywhere you may have visited, from the list at the left, or any place else for that matter. Please send them to the email at the left or directly to me at Ldddad@comcast.net. Thanks.