North Carolina XXVI

Today, we take another look at the incredible Triad Park in Colfax, North Carolina.

We have, in fact, visited here before and you can check out those visits here and here.

Just a couple of the features pertaining to Vietnam.

This beautiful obelisk can be seen from all around and is a tribute to the effort, respect and love that went into building this site.

Truer words were never spoken. As I have said in the past I still have trouble taking the support, and thank you for your service comments seriously. As long as it took to get to this point, I fear it could vanish so much quicker.

This is a name I found on one of the walkways. I am trying to track down if he was lost or not. I have made several attempts to learn something about him, to no avail.

So, as  have done in the past, I throw the challenge out to you to see who might know something about him. You have helped before, I hope you can come through once again.

Next time, on October 10th, we will revisit Pennsylvania, so join me there, as usual, at 9:00 am.

To see additional memorials from North Carolina, or any other state, please click a state name on the left side of this page. Please note that Canada, Ireland, and Puerto Rico have been added to the list.

If you are following along at all, you will have seen that a number of you, like Joan from Wisconsin, Tony from Texas, Mike from Maryland, Ron from Florida, Tim from Virginia and Molly from Florida, among others, have responded to my request to send me memorials you have seen in your area or where you may have traveled. I even got one from Ireland! These submissions help expand the knowledge of how we have remembered the men and women who served or were lost in 'Nam and you help to honor them. If you have any such photos, I would love to see them. Please send them along to the email at the left and I will gladly share them here. Thanks, once again, to all who have contributed.

North Carolina XXII

Returning, briefly to Triad Park in Colfax, North Carolina to share a couple more of the many features and tributes here.

Throughout the park are many small, individual markers to different groups.

Note the dates on this stone. It is extremely rare to find 1956 included at any memorial. As I have stated many times here, the first American soldier was TSgt. Fitzgibbons who was killed in 1956. Thank you to North Carolina for getting it right.

Various engagements are remembered here.

Earlier, I thanked N.C for getting something right, however, now I must take small issue with the above. P. McCree Thornton is credited with this quote (therefore, not unknown) who served two tours in 'Nam with the U. S. Navy. It appears in a book of fiction he wrote and seems to be a very slight misquote or paraphrase of something Theodore Roosevelt said many, many years earlier.

We will return to Colfax in the future to explore additional features of this magnificent memorial site.

Next time, on the 3rd of December, we will revisit Oklahoma, 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.

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. Please send them to the email at the left or directly to me at Ldddad@comcast.net. Thanks

North Carolina XXI

I was completely unaware of this magnificent tribute to so many. When I am planning these trips, I do tons of research to attempt to locate and learn a little about each site I hope to see. Often, misinformation, or scheduling mishaps, or just dumb luck (or the complete lack of it) interferes.

I have related here, on several occasions, stories of people directing me to sites I am unaware of, or of finding an empty field where a memorial is said to be.

In this instance I was traveling through North Carolina and just stumbled upon this vast park, Triad Park, in Colfax, NC. (Also claimed by Kernersville)

This wonderful obelisk was the first warning that something worthwhile was on the horizon.

This entrance pathway offers some hint of what is found further in, but for today, we will simply begin here. there will be more to come at later dates.

The mission statement is clear.

As is so often the case, the numbers have been corrected and/or updated over the years. We now know that 58, 281 of our brothers and sisters were lost as of the four year reconciliation project conducted by the DoD and the VVMF (Vietnam Veterans Memorial Foundation) Names, if appropriate, may be added each year. None have been in the last couple of years, so maybe, just maybe, we have added the last one.

There is much more here to see and I will be doing so in the not too distant future.

Next time, on the 24th, we will check back in to Pennsylvania, so, as always, meet me there 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.

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. Please send them to the email at the left or directly to me at Ldddad@comcast.net. Thanks