Virginia VI

As promised, I made it back to Triangle, Va. home of the Quantico Marine Base and the Marine Corp Museum.

This time I was able to locate the"Ugly Angels" memorial up near the Chapel that sits on the hill nearby. I was surprised to see that it is bigger than I had guessed from viewing another photograph. I would guess that it is about 5 feet by three. I got to wondering about the name and took the following from the website. The URL follows the story.

Many stories have been told through the years of how the squadron received the name Ugly Angels, but only a few have proven to be true. It is said that the helicopter herself was so ugly, yet she was called an angel because she descended from the heavens to save the souls of her war weary men. It has also been told that a Marine while being rescued made the statement: " You are the ugliest angel I have ever seen", and from there the name was adopted the "Ugly Angels". Before the squadron gained their well-known name they were referred to as Archie's Angels, after their first commanding officer, Lieutenant Colonel Archie Clapp. They arrived in Vietnam in April of 1962 and answered the prayers of many wounded Marines until August of 1969. The Ugly Angels were the longest serving squadron in Vietnam and during a seven-year service, 33 brave crewmen gave the ultimate sacrifice for their fellow Marines. For every one of the 33 men who lost their lives, a great number were saved. It is at this moment that we as a nation should realize that freedom is never free!

You can find much more information here;

http://www.popasmoke.com/recent.html?subaction=showfull&id=1111885036&archive=&start_from=&ucat=5

The memorial is, also, called the "Broken Wing" (see the third picture) and it memorializes the 33 men lost in 'Nam. Their names, rank, and date they were lost are listed on the half aviator's wing.

The other picture is of a memorial that sits just across the walk from the "Ugly Angels" It, as can be seen is to a number of marine involvements, not just Vietnam, but, I liked it.