Missouri XII

So, as is happening far too often lately I am late with this post. Without trying to make excuses, I just have not felt very well since around New Years. Nothing major, just seemingly run down. Advancing age perhaps.

Anyway, today we return to Missouri to honor a few of her lost heroes.

Kirkland has two memorials. One to those who served and one to those lost. They differentiate on the one to the lost as to whether it was in combat or by other means. Not the details, per se, but grouped separately. In addition, MIAs are listed in a third grouping.

Today, a few of the lost from combat.

John W. Goeglen

Maj. Goeglen was a pilot on one of the several "Jolly Green Giants" famous throughout 'Nam. (IYKYK)

His chopper was shot down on a rescue mission in Laos. No remains were ever recovered. He was awarded the "Distinguished Flying Cross."

Martin Biondi

Sp4 Biond was lost on March 19, 1968, at Gia Dinh to "fragmentation" wounds. This is the sum total of what I can find. If you have further information or resources, I would love to know.

Jerome Rawlings

SP4 Jerome Rawlings and SP5 Manuel Moore were military policemen serving with the 4th MP Company. On April 30, 1968, they and two other MP’s were ambushed with small arms fire while conducting civil affairs duties in a supposedly friendly Montagnard village outside of Camp Enari in Pleiku Province, RVN. The following is a personal account of the incident by Michael P. May: On April 30, 1968, three months after the Tet Offensive, the NVA shelled Camp Enari. As usual, we grabbed our weapons, flak jackets, and steel pots and ran to the DTOC (Division Tactical Operations Center). Sometime after that, someone gave the all clear. As we walked toward the Company area, Jerome commented that even if we got hit again, he had made his last dash from there to the DTOC. He explained that he was going on his last civil affairs mission that day. He would then spend the next couple of days processing out of the MP Company and out of Vietnam which he was scheduled to leave for good on May 5, 1968. He never made it. That morning, April 30, Jerome left Camp Enari through its south gate accompanied by SP5 Manuel (Sweetpea) Moore and Curtis Spivey. They never made it to their destination, the Montagnard village whose people they were trying to help. They encountered an ambush. In the course of trying to help his Montagnards, Jerome Rawlings died. So did Sweetpea, with whom I traveled to Vietnam from Oakland Army Base. (Narrative by Michael P. May) [Taken from coffeltdatabase.org and thewall-usa.com]

I reprint this story because, as many of you know, I bitch all the time about the lack of information available about these fallen heroes, so when I actually find something, I want to tell their story.

Next time, on March 5th, we will return to Montana to honor a few who were lost from the state, so join me there, as usual at 9:00 am. 

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, Molly from Florida, Colleen from Pennsylvania, Elli from Maryland, and Peg and Ray 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 and/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.

I hope all those listed here will encourage you to send along photos and join the group.

Missouri XI

It happens that I sometimes discover that I think that I have made a post from a certain place only to find out that this is not the case. Sadly, it happens more often than I would like. Not sure what that is all about. 

It seems that Kansas City falls into this category. I am glad I discovered this oversight because the Kansas City memorial is beautiful. It honors 351 from the area lost or missing.

These pictures were taken some time ago. The memorial has had a number of problems with vandalism, upkeep, and repair, but as of July 2023 these seem to be getting taken care of by the city and supporters of the memorial.

A detailed explanation of all the symbolism built into the memorial may be found here, it is quite interesting.

There are a couple of more photos from this site that I will post in the not too distant future.

The memorial is located at 4299 Broadway near the intersection with 42nd.

Next time, on the 29th., we will return to Nebraska to honor a simple memorial from Antelope Park in Lincoln, so join me there, as always, at 9:00 am.

 

To see additional memorials from Missouri, 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, and Molly from Florida 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.

Missouri X

Back in 2012 I posted from St. Peter's, Missouri about a privately built memorial to all those lost or MIA from 'Nam. Please go here to check out that original post.

Today as I continue to search for memorials across the country and through my many photos from over the years, I have returned to this post to attempt to highlight the one face I had any luck (though not that much) pulling from the site.

The face is taken, obviously, from the larger plaque that commemorated the service and sacrifice of the 1423 names currently listed on The Wall.

The face, as always=, is representative, but I believe that you can see resignation in it.

It did not, as is too often the case translate well from the larger picture, but even so the look is there.

I hope in the not-too-distant future to be able to return to Missouri as I have read The College of the Ozarks has created a memorial reminiscent of The Wall in DC. honoring the 1423, which coincidentally is almost the exact enrollment of the college.

Next time, on the 14th, we will revisit Nebraska to highlight some of the memorials in their extensive Veterans Park in Lincoln., so as always, join me there at 9:00am.

To see other memorials from Missouri, 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!

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.

Missouri IX

On a corner,in Kirkwood, Mo., among many trees are several memorials to various wars.

This one, to our Fathers and Grandfathers, caught my attention, first.

Further exploration discovered this one to our fellow soldiers. The delineations are interesting here. You rarely see such groupings as these.

Just wandering around turned up this, presumably, older memorial to those lost. It seems to be exactly the same as the newer, larger one. They both remember and honor the 10 from the area that were lost.

 Kirkwood is about 13 miles southwest of St. Louis and the memorial is located between city Hall and the RR tracks. near the intersection of S. Kirkwood road and Argonne Drive.

Again, very little available info. about this site. as always, let me know, if you know.

Next time, on the 21st, we will take another look at Nebraska, so, join me there,as always, at 9:00am.

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

Missouri VIII

As mentioned previously, I had to return to Missouri due to a computer system failure that cost me all the pics from my first trip. This turned out to be a good thing as I found additional sites and met some really interesting folks. One of these chance meetings led to my being interviewed by a local St. Louis radio station. The interview turned out to be one of the most popular ones ever broadcast!

This memorial is located in a suburb called Florrisant. In fact, I was interviewed there by the local edition of The Florrisant Patch, an on-line newspaper. Quite a trip, all in all!

The memorial sits in a small park area and is dedicated to those who served and those lost in Vietnam. Dedicated on July 4th, 1969, it remembers and honors the 41 from the area who were lost. It is also one of the older memorials I have found around the country.

The memorial is located along Howdershell Road.

Next time, on December 6th, check out a site in Montana. As always, I will see you at 9:00am.

Missouri VII

The Court of Honor

The Soldiers Memorial Military Museum

St. Louis, the last stop in Missouri, as all vets know, is the home to the military records center as well as other important military sites and activity. It is no surprise, then, that with all this heavy military presence that the city should boast The Soldiers Memorial Military Museum. The museum has been open for decades and is free to the public. It contains many exhibits and memorabilia, primarily from WWII. It is seen in the last photo here. It is located at 1315 Chestnut Street.

Directly in front of the museum is The Court of Honor. Here are commemorated the many from the St. Louis area who have served and given their all. The most recent addition is dedicated to the 214 from the area that made the ultimate sacrifice in Vietnam.

It was here, in the court that I chanced to meet the director of the museum and that encounter led to my being interviewed by a local radio station, a first for me. I will jump at any means to get the word out about this site,  A Means To Heal, to spread the word to vets and anyone else that might be interested. If you would like to listen in to that interview, it is archived by the radio station (KDHX) here;

http://kdhx.org/ondemand/podcasts/vetnet/us-vietnam-memorials

Next, we will slip over the river into Illinois. The state memorial is at Springfield and that is where we will begin. See you on the 7th at 9:00am.

Missouri VI

Carthage lies in southwest Missouri not too very far from Joplin. This memorial is in Central Park and I have read that some consider it "THE" Missouri Vietnam memorial. As I have written previously, folks in St. Peter's say the same thing. It doesn't really matter to me as both list all of the brave souls from the state that gave all for the Vietnamese and their efforts for freedom. Heroes all!

Sitting on the corner of Maple and Chestnut Streets, this memorial commemorates not only the heroes from Missouri but also the fact that the Traveling Wall visited this exact spot. I am always very pleased when I see that a visit by the Traveling Wall has inspired a town to build a permanent tribute. As noted before I have seen this a number of times but it may not be too well known that there are several organizations that sponsor Walls the visit around the country. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, who built the Wall in D.C., and Dignity Memorials are just two of these.

It was raining the day I was there and the glare given off by the rain often makes one think of the tears that were shed for these brave people, their families, for Vietnam. Standing in these sacred places, in the rain, also causes me to recall the monsoons in 'Nam. Not that these storms measure up in any way, but just the rain in general. It is funny what takes you back!

       

This poem by Major O'Donnell, KIA in 'Nam, is frequently found at these sites. It encompasses, I think, a lesson we may have finally learned. Regardless of ones politics or feelings about any particular war, we must never (again) blame the soldier who was sent to that war. When I returned I got some of the stuff we have all heard about on my third day back in the U.S. Now, when I see returning soldiers applauded in airports, etc, I think we have learned. The "silver lining" to Vietnam may just be that we will never treat a vet with such disrespect again! I least I hope this is true.

Missouri V

Located south of St. Louis, Cape Girardeau sits very near the Illinois State line. As I traveled there I was caught in two different (I think) tornadoes. The area had recently been experiencing many storms and Joplin was particularly hard hit. I saw lots of devastation, in fact, it reminded me of 'Nam. I was able to get out of harms way but it was quite an experience.

The memorial in Cape Girardeau is a simple tribute, made of Missouri white marble, to the 19 men from the area, who are among the 1411 from Missouri, who were lost. It sits on the grounds of the Common Pleas Court House Park Lawn, on Spanish Street, along with some other war time tributes.

Recently, I have been hearing more talk of war, too often from those who have never worn a uniform or looked down the barrel of someone else's rifle. I have commented before about how eagerly these types send other peoples kids to war! It made me think of what the Presiding County Commissioner, Gerald Jones, said at the July 4th, 2006, dedication of this memorial.

"Real patriotism requires more than posting a flag in your yard. It requires action, commitment and a willingness to sacrifice for your country-like our Vietnam veterans."

Join me again on the 18th as we visit Carthage. As always, at 9:00am

Missouri IV

This memorial is in Wentzville, MO not too far from St.Louis. It was built in 1967 and is considered by many to be the first memorial to Vietnam in the country. At first, it was only a tree strung with lights as part of an effort to raise funds to send gifts to guys in 'Nam.  A couple of years later a monument was placed on the site. In time, the tree was lost to age or disease or something and the monument became the main site. The pillar has biblical verses on its base and is topped with an eagle. It is also the site of a yearly visit by those headed east in the Run for the Wall. The vets usually spend some time in Wentzville and always place a wreath at the memorial before heading to D.C. The last pic is of a notice left more than 20 years ago by some vet on his way to D.C.

It is located in Fireman's Park, at Birch Street and W. Pearce Blvd and it is hard to imagine that anyone in this town could not direct you  to it.

Missouri III

Another very early memorial also has its home in O'Fallon. In Dames Park, this site honors the 19 men from the community who were lost in 'Nam. The memorial, named for Omer J. Dames rests in a 59 acre park on land once a part of the Dames family farm. Omer J. Dames was a WWI veteran and a Missouri legislator for a number of years. He died in office in 1969 and this memorial was built to honor him and was dedicated to those lost from St Charles County. 5 of these were from the City of O'Fallon. This memorial is considered to be one of the earliest to honor Vietnam's lost. Followers of this blog know that a number of places vie to be the first or oldest site honoring our brothers and sisters. I may never actually be able to categorically state which particular memorial was "first" or the oldest. What is important is that communities around the country chose to build them, especially these that were built at a time when the war was still raging and its popularity eroding with each passing day and death. One could easily imagine that it may have taken some courage to propose, plan and build a memorial.

Side note. Previously, in a different park there was another memorial in O'Fallon. One of the Traveling Walls came to the city and was on display in another site. As is so often the case, when it left the people wanted to do something to commemorate its visit. It was decided to plant bushes in the exact spot it rested and to keep them pruned to always look like the Wall and to mirror its actual size. A bench and a small plaque were placed at the site, towards the rear of the park, in a quite, restful setting, along a walking path. The last time I visited, I was able to visit this spot and photograph this remarkable site. Those are some of the pictures that were lost in a computer problem (yes, they were backed up, TWICE) and part of the reason for my return to O'Fallon. Unfortunately, the bushes were lost to the recent drought and have not been replaced. It breaks my heart to have lost this one.

Missouri II

O'Fallon, Missouri is near St. Louis and boasts a number of great memorials. This one, while not technically solely Vietnam, is one not to be missed. The five steles represent the branches of service and the 65 pairs of boots a platoon of soldiers. Notice that one pair is missing~The Missing Man. That pair of boots sits below the POW/MIA flag on the site. Very powerful. The site is lighted at night and the steles stand in a reflecting pool. It is all watched over by an eternal flame. Many Veteran related ceremonies are held here throughout the year.

You can find it on the corner of Belleau Creek Road and Veteran's Memorial Highway, exit 219 from I-70.

Next time, we will visit another, very early, site in Dames Park in O'Fallon. Join me on the 18th, as always, at 9:00am.

Missouri

Missouri is one of the states that has no "official" Vietnam memorial, but I choose to consider this one "official"! The builder confirmed to me that it is the only site in Missouri to include all the names of the lost or missing.

Located in St. Peter's, a suburb of St. Louis, it began as one mans fulfillment of his promise to his brothers at Khe Sanh. He told then that if he survived the onslaught, he would build a memorial to them all.

It took some time for him to be able to deal with it all and the project grew from just his buddies at Khe Sanh to include all the lost and MIA from Missouri.

He built the memorial with individual bricks for each of the 1412 lost or missing from the state in his backyard, but when St. Peter's decided to build a new memorial to Vietnam and Korea (at Jungermann and Willot Roads), he donated the memorial to be part of this new one.

The plague on the nearby memorial speaks to lost dreams and this included his. He and his best friend were at Khe Sanh together. They both had dreams of of becoming professional baseball players. His friends dreams died, when he did, at Khe Sanh and the builders died when he was severely wounded, losing some of the use of one of his arms in the same action.

Another interesting side story to this site is that cell phone use was increasing dramatically when it was being built. So, the designers figured out a way to enclose all the equipment for a new tower with in the walls of the site and rather than build a new tower, the antennas are enclosed in the large flagpole nearby.

From here, on the 12th, we visit O'Fallon, at one time the home to three memorials! See you at 9:00am!