New Mexico XXXIII

New Mexico, as you may know, is one of my favorite places. 

I have featured this memorial previously and today I am going to highlight and honor a few of the names remembered here.

The memorial is located in front of the Luna Mimbres Museum in Deming, New Mexico.

There are no names listed on this memorial but below are three of the heroes from the area lost in 'Nam.

Steve Duran

HN Steve Duran was a Nave Hospitalman who was lost in the Quang Tin Province on February 3, 1966. He was lost to "other explosive device...."

Clovis L. May

SGT Clovis L. May was lost at Quang Tin Province on May 22, 1969. He was lost to "rocket, mortar fire..."

Jimmy F. Nabours

WO Jimmy Nabours survived a helicopter crash but later died from his injuries. He was lost on June 30, 1970, in Cambodia.

Next time on 13th, we will return to New York, so join me there, as always, at 9 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.

New Mexico XXXII

It is an honor today to return to Lordsburg, New Mexico to honor two fallen soldiers and one female soldier, who, as you know, are largely a rarity.

 PO2 Ben Dugan

Petty Officer 2 Dugan was lost on July 4th, 1969 in Hau Nghai Province

LCPL Magdaleno Tarango

LCPL Magdaleno Tarango was lost in the Quang Tri Provence on March 5th, 1967 

And, the female soldier from the area. Many do not know that 10 to 11 thousand women served in 'Nam. You can read more about their service and sacrifice here.

 

 Isobel O. Madrid

I ask you to join me on the 26th of June when we will return to New York to add and honor a few more faces, as always 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.

New Mexico XXXI

I know that last time I promised to post from North Carolina today, but, I realized that i had inadvertently skipped New Mexico. 

So, I will postpone North Carolina for the moment and revisit New Mexico, specifically, Lordsburg, As I have written before, Lordsburg has a wonderful memorial to all its citizens who have served. Recently completed (2021) it honors many from different wars and I have posted previously about a few of them. You can see those posts here, here, and here.

It is amazing to me that this memorial was built in a town of just over 2,000 people and during the war years it hovered around 3,400. Once again, I will praise what some small towns do for their vets while some large States have no official memorial at all.

Today, just a couple of pics, faces actually of two of the statues within the park.

In keeping with my Faces of Remembrance sub group.

This is the Vietnam solder honoring all who served.

This is the face of a female solder. It is not clear which, if any, war she represents. Perhaps just a tribute to the many women who have served, given their lives and all too often not received the recognition and respect they have earned and greatly deserve, I have written previously about the sacrifices of the women who served so valiantly in 'Nam. Most of us know of the eight women remembered on The Wall but many others Gave All for our efforts in 'Nam, too. You can read a little about them here.

Next time, on the 8th of February, we will return to North Carolina as previously promised, so join me there, as usual, at 9:00am.

To see Vietnam memorials from any state and Canada, Ireland, and Puerto Rico click on the individual names on the left side of this page.

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, Colleen from Pennsylvania, and Elli from Maryland, 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.

Seasons Greertings 2024 IV

So, this will be my final deviation from the usual Vietnam memorials posts for this year (2024) even though it will post in 2025.

Leaving Delaware and heading out west I came upon these from one of my favorite places in the country: New Mexico.

These Chili Ristras are ubiquitous in New Mexico and often quite long. Maybe not as long as these which must measure more than 6 feet.

One sees all kinds of elaborately colored vehicles here.

This structure, just off my friends property, is a mystery.

This photo is actually a Trompe l'oeil or Trick of the Eye. While it appears to be a photo of a girl through several doors or portals, it is actually a painting on a wall through the open door.

New Mexico is renowned by artist for its majestic light.

No explanation necessary for this one.

Next time, on the 9th of January, I will return to the posts of Vietnam memorials. So, check back to see if I find something from California. As always, at 9:00 am. 

To see Vietnam memorials from any state and Canada, Ireland, and Puerto Rico click on the individual names on the left side of this page.

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, Colleen from Pennsylvania, and very soon Elli from Maryland, 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,

New Mexico XXX

I am headed, one more time, to New Mexico. Specifically to Lordsburg which lies along Route 10, about 2 hours west of Las Cruces.

We have visited here before and you can see those posts here and here.

Today, a few more names from the Wall that virtually surrounds this site. It honors many: soldiers from several wars, Border Patrol personnel, Policemen and other First Responders.

These name are all from those lost in 'Nam.

Too often, in my opinion, memorials are rather general. They often recall a war, but not necessarily the individuals who did the actual fighting and especially those who gave all. It may seem that I post a lot of these names and I assure you that I will continue to do so. If a city, state, or town goes to the effort to commemorate these heroes, so will I.

I've located a couple more from this site that I will feature later, but for now I will just say that:

Next time, on October 5th, we will revisit North Carolina, so join 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. 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.

New Mexico XXIX

Returning to Lordsburg for me is easy. It is such a wonderful and inclusive site. It includes Vietnam, 9-11, First Responders and more. I will concentrate, of course, on the Vietnam components. I mention the others to encourage you to check it out if ever in the area.

The Wall here honors the many who served from the area in a variety of wars. 

The following are but a very few of the sons and daughters of Lordsburg who served in our efforts.

As I looked at the Wall I did not see any names of those lost. A check in with VVMF's Wall of Faces Identified these two from Lordsburg:

PO2 Ben G. Dugan 

LCPL Magdaleno Tarango

Rest in Peace, brothers.

And, finally for today a reminder of those whom we promise to never forget.

 

 

 

Next time, on the 11th, we will return to New York, so join 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. 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 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.

New Mexico XXVIII

In my last post from New Mexico I promised to share the other memorial site from Lordsburg.

I was absolutely amazed to find such a large and inclusive site in such a small town. Lordsburg has a population of a little over 2,200 in 2022.

There is just so much here that it will take several postings to cover it all. I will certainly continue this particular series over time.

As an aside, I have found very little information about when this remarkable memorial was built or the story behind it. I invite you to enlighten me if you can, Many of you have been helpful in the past so i will hope to hear from someone.

The Memorial Park lies just off I-10 on the corner of E. 4th Street and Main Streets. Lordsburg is about 4 and a half hours west of Albuquerque and 2 and half hours east of Tucson, Check it out, it is well worth the visit.

Next time, on the 6th, we will head back to North Carolina, so meet me there, as always, 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. Please note that  Canada, Ireland, and Puerto Rico have been added to the list.

As is now my custom,  I will ask anyone who has pictures of Vietnam memorials not shown here, to send then to me and I will include them (giving you full credit.) Any number of you have added knowledge and honor to this site by doing just that. It is always appreciated and makes this effort better, more completed. Thanks to those who have contributed and to anyone who will do so now or in the future.

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.

New Mexico XXVI

Lordsburg, New Mexico lies about 60 miles west of Deming where we visited the last time I posted about New Mexico. Lordsburg has a beautiful veterans park that honors many and I will share that with you at a later time.

Today, however, I want to quickly share what must have been the original memorial in the town.

 

Situated directly in front of Court House is this stone marker that seems to have been originally dedicated to Vets of the World Wars.

There is what appears to be a newer plaque added to include not only those but also Korea and Vietnam.

It intrigues me when I see groups of names with no distinction made as to who served when or where. How much more trouble could it be? Perhaps it makes no difference.

Next time, on the 21st, we will revisit New York, so join me there, as usual, 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.

If you are following along at all, you will have seen that a number of you have responded to my request to send me memorials you have seen in your area or where you may have traveled. 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.

New Mexico XXV

I have not been to New Mexico recently, so, I was looking through pictures to see if there might be something I missed that would be of interest here.

I was pleased to come across a few from Truth or Consequences* where a great memorial is located. This is another of the oft mentioned "small towns" that do a remarkable job remembering and honoring vets.

I wrote about some of what is here in the past and you can see that post here.

Today, just a couple more from this amazing site.

 

 

Many are remembered and honored with bricks laid throughout the park. this one stands out. No matter what one might have thought of his politics, no one can take away his bravery and loyalty to his fellow prisoners. I  have no doubt that many of us wonder if we might have been so courageous.

This familiar icon is on the wall of the adjacent museum. I will take you inside in a later post.

It is just a little unusual to see a POW/MIA flag all on its own. As a Federal flag it is flown along side the U.S. flag and below no other. The exception is that on a single staff it flies below the US flag and above state flags, although you often see this done incorrectly.

The Park and Museum may be reached at; 996 S. Broadway Truth or Consequences, NM 87901 Phone: (575) 894-7640 Email: TheWall@windstream.net.  

It is 154 miles south of Albuquerque on Rte. 25. 

Not bad for a town of just over 6,000.

*The town gets its name from a radio show of the same name (later a popular TV show, too.) that ran a contest offering to publicize any town that would adopt the name. Hot Springs,New Mexico accepted the challenge and the Fiesta around the new name continues 'til this day since March 1950!

Next time, on the 7th, we will return to New York, so, meet me there, as usual, 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.

New Mexico XXIV

Last fall I was in Arizona for a bit and drifted over into New Mexico and found a few really great memorial sites.

Today, I want to focus on Deming, NM. Deming is named for Walter Deming who revolutionized production in Japan after WWII. He tried, unsuccessfully, to get the attention of American business and finally approached Japan. The rest is history. (some companies in the US eventually caught on and adopted his measures, much to their betterment.)

Outside the Luna Mimbres Museum on Hemlock Street is a Veterans Park and there are, at least, two markers to remember and honor our efforts.

I will feature the smaller of the two.

There are several pieces of equipment displayed here.

Dedicated to all of our brothers and sisters, this marker is elegant in its simplicity.

Next time, on the 14th, Mother's Day, I will postpone a memorial post until the 19th and simply wish all Mothers, Step-Mothers, Gold Star Mothers and all the women in the world who care for our children a Happy day in recognition of all they do. 

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

New Mexico XXIII

Got a late start today, so this is posting a couple of hours later than usual. Hope to be back on schedule on the next post.

It is said that the New Mexico slogan, Land of Enchantment, comes from Las Cruces. Stunningly beautiful, it more than lives up to this compliment. 

In addition to its natural beauty Las Cruces has quite a remarkable Veterans Park. I have posted from here in the past and promised to return for additional posts. You can see those earlier posts here and here.

 

Some of these new pics come from my visit to the park while the Vietnam memorial seen above was still being planned, so some may seem redundant or perhaps insufficient.  Trust me, they did a great job on the stand alone 'Nam memorial.

 

 

 

This is a place that deserves a visit should you find yourself in the area. It is located at 2651 Roadrunner Parkway.

Next time, on the 24th, we will revisit New York, so join me there, as usual, 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!

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!

New Mexico XXI

At the New Mexico Veterans Memorial there is so much to see. I have written about it elsewhere on this site and you can check that out here.

I have been posting often lately about the faces on memorials and shall do so today also, with one difference.

In addition to the face on the main Vietnam memorial here, I will also share the faces of a soldier returning to his family, something I have only see rarely on this journey.

Once inside this remarkable site you find this lone soldier, as seen in the post listed above.

But, elsewhere, you see this poignant statue of a returning soldier. It is called The Welcome Home Memorial.

Another unusual feature is that it is made of carved wood, I can only think of one other and it, too, is in New Mexico

The family

The soldier

The wife

 

Their child

 The plaque below says:

Welcome Home Veterans

The grateful people of New Mexico

want to thank you for

keeping us safe.

It is quite rare to see a memorial that depicts those other than a military member, I can only think of a few, but I think this one is particularly moving.

Next time, on the 14th, we will revisit 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.