New Mexico XVII

As many of you know Santa Fe is one of my favorite places on earth. I visit as often as is possible and while on this journey I have often attempted to find a Vietnam memorial in the city. I have failed every time. I was told that no such memorial existed and that I should go to Albuquerque or Angel Fire to find memorials . Well, if you have followed this site a while, you know that I have visited those places, often as a matter of fact.

So, my quest continued as it just did not seem reasonable to me that a city the size of Santa Fe would have nothing to honor her Vietnam vets.

While photographing the Medal of Honor recipients display in the state capitol building, I got to chatting with the guard on duty. I happened to mention my bewilderment at the absence of a Vietnam Memorial and he said. "Oh, we have one, its over in Greigo Park"

Astounded, I said "What, I've been looking for it for years!" He said he lived in the neighborhood and knew exactly where it was. He gave me directions and in a matter of minutes a years long, frustrating search was ended. Just like that, I was standing in front of it.

The park is named after John F. Greigo who was killed on January 14, 1967 at the age of 21 after serving 10 months of his 12 month tour in Vietnam.  At the time of his death he had one brother serving in the Army in Germany, one brother serving in the Air Force stateside and one brother who had just finished his stint in the Air Force. The memorial honors the, now 18, lost from Santa Fe.

Note: one name has been added since I took this picture

Nearby is this, presumably, earlier memorial.

Note; There are 16 names on this memorial

The fact that the earlier memorial has 16 names and my photo has 17 and now there are 18 on the newer one emphasizes the on going work of identifying and honoring our brothers and sisters who were lost. 

Each May names are added to The Wall in D.C. if any have been identified. This past May, none were added, and it causes me to wonder if we have actually added the last name and whom that person might be, if not. Springsteen sings a lament about 'Nam asking "Who will be the last to die..." and I wonder will we ever know.

The memorial is on Paseo de la Conquistadoras.

Next time, on the 15th, we will return to New York, so meet me there at 9:00am.

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

North Carolina IX

North Carolina has always held a special place in my heart. My ancestors settled there when they were forced out of Scotland. There is even a school not too very far from Fayetteville named after a long gone relative. I, also, did my Basic Training at Fort Bragg and I still have beloved cousins who live not too far away. So, I enjoy visiting and have taken advantage of all this to visit many times.

To continue from the last post (scroll back one if you missed it) visitors to The Wall, in D.C. have left warehouses full of mementos, personal items, pictures, medals, uniform pieces and a myriad of other items. So, too, here in Fayetteville. Now, this Wall's visit was very short and yet I discovered several things that were left by a loved one. It fascinates me that for some of us, the war was 50 years ago and yet there is still a need to make these contacts and connections. Still a need to find some reason, solace and perhaps, a little peace. I hope those that left these found a little of what they were seeking.

Each of these many flags was dedicated to a particular soldier. The soldier's name and that of the donor were prominently displayed on each flag.

This one boasted a poem written by a loved one to the one lost.

A simple unit patch. People leave what they have.

Others have much more. This looks like the "year book" we got leaving Basic Training and some photos probably from 'Nam.

Our next visit will be in Pennsylvania, so join me there, on the 6th, as always at 9:00am.

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

Illinois

The entrance road to the site is lined with flags, the wind has them in full display, today !

The Illinois Vietnam Memorial

The eternal flame

Names of the lost are inscribed on the black granite walls, reminiscent of The Wall in D.C.

Each of the services songs is inscribed upon its particular wall

Medal of Honor awardees and POW/MIA's are honored

Once, again, Forrest Gump has been proven right. You never know what you're going to find. I was distraught when I had a computer problem that cost me any number of photos. These pics had been backed up, twice, and the whole system failed. The pics, mostly from Missouri and Illinois were just gone!

After trying everything I, and every computer person I know, tried to do to retrieve them failed, I finally realized that I had to return to these two states to retake the photos.

When I visited Springfield the first time, I had a lot of trouble tracking down the site and then had to wait a day or so for the rain to let up. As a result, when I visited the Oak Ridge Cemetery, where the memorial is situated, it was wet, cloudy, cold, dank and not particularly conducive to good photos.

As you can see from these pics, all that had changed! The sky was beautiful, the trees in color, the wind was blowing the flags and all in all I am just happier with these pics. So, thanks Forrest for putting it in to perspective!

The Illinois State Vietnam memorial is dedicated to the 3009 who were lost or are still missing. I have read many sites that all have differing numbers but this is the highest I have found so far. I have a call into the site and if they give me different stats, I will certainly report them here.

Each of the five walls represents a branch of service. These support an eternal flame which honors all and this create five courts for rest and reflection. The POW/MIA's are honored separately from the known lost.

The memorial was the project of two local vets who attended the dedication of The Wall In D.C. in 1982. They wanted to honor all their friends and all who had made the ultimate sacrifice in 'Nam. The untimely and unexpected death of one of them only served to make the other more determined to finish the memorial.

Located at 1500 Monument Ave, Springfield, IL 62702, The Oak Ridge Cemetery honors other wars and warriors and is also the resting place of  Abraham Lincoln. One could spend quite some time in this sacred place and still probably not absorb it all.

Illinois proved to have some very interesting Vietnam sites. Keep checking back to continue the journey. The next post will be at 9:00am on the 12th. See you then.

Arkansas II

"Inside" the memorial are some interesting views. Here is another of the soldier and a couple of The Wall itself. I have written before about how so many of these sites are designed to help us reflect on the magnitude of the war, the sacrifice and the loss of those involved. This one is no different, the names here, seen in two different views are, as always, compelling and heartbreaking and the reflection often includes oneself and forces one to contemplate. In my case, like so many other vets, I wonder, "Why is it that I was spared and these were not?"

You can, also, see why the numbers in the previous post differ. It is not at all unusual for names to be discovered after the sites are complete and you can see how they dealt with that issue here. The seven who have been added over the years are of those whose families showed that they were from Arkansas but may have moved elsewhere. These, then may well be listed on other memorials in other places, too. This speaks, I think, to a phenomenon that I have referenced before; we have gone, over the years, from being ignored to being honored in many ways and it seems places!

I wrote a couple of months back that 10 additional names were added to the Wall in D.C. this past May. It seems that no matter how hard the planners try, some are always added later. Some of you may know that I am involved with trying to build a memorial in my town; I hope that we are able to include all that were lost the first time around.

I mentioned in the last post that I had talked with the Historian for Arkansas. One of the things he told me was that a name had been added, this year, to the War of 1812 memorial on the grounds! So, for those of us who care and believe that remembrance of the sacrifice of others in important, the work goes on.

Next time, on the 14th, we will visit a Medal of Honor memorial on the same grounds as the Vietnam Memorial. Nick Bacon, the last living MOH awardee (from Arkansas) died in 2008, but his story should be told forever. Check it out at 9:00am on the 14th.