New Mexico XXII

As previously promised here are the Faces from the memorial at Tejeras, New Mexico.

These, unlike many others that I post, are actual photos of the men involved, probably found on The Wall of Faces that I wrote about last time.

Isidro Garcia was awarded The Silver Star for his bravery defending a position until a rescue could be completed. He was killed on March 15, 1970. RIP

Jose Cecilio Garcia was one of 50 Marines lost on Hill 881 South in addition to more than 300 ARVN soldiers. He died on April 30, 1967. RIP

It is interesting that the only two killed from the Tejeras area were both named Garcia. It is a common name in the southwest, to be sure, but it strikes me as odd.

Also, if you should ever find yourself near Tejeras, not far from Albuquerque, be sure to ride along Route 66 to experience the "Musical Highway."

Learn all about it here.

Next time, on the 27th, we will return to New York, so join me there, as always, at 9:00am.

To see additional memorials from New Mexico, 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!

Texas XII

San Antonio, perhaps best known for being the home of The Alamo, also, boasts a magnificent Vietnam memorial.

It sits in Veteran's Memorial Plaza adjacent to the historic St. Mark's Episcopal Church, where Robert E. Lee attended services before the Civil War and, later, Lyndon Johnson and "Lady Bird" were married. Part of it's magnificent facade can be see in the pictures.

The statue, Hill 881, South was created by Austin Deuel, of Scottsdale, AZ. He based it upon a scene he actually witnessed while on Hill 881." He points out that contrary to some reports, the two soldiers are NOT specific individuals and are meant to be symbolic of "Man's compassion for his fellow man."

The memorial was trucked from Scottsdale to San Antonio by a team who were Vietnam vets and they were escorted by many more, including over 300 bikers who saw it safely to its final resting place.

There are a number of other interesting stories and anecdotes associated with this memorial. If you are interested, you can see them here;

 http://vietnamveteransmemorialofsanantonio.com/factoids-and-footnotes/

In addition, I will post additional photos in a future post, so keep an eye out for it.

Next time, we will take another trip all the way back to Virginia, so join me there, as always, at 9:00am.

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