California VII

Far west of Riverside, I went to a place called Chiriaco Summit. In the middle of the desert the temp was 117 degrees and I wondered," why is there a monument this far into this desolate place?" Well, the monument, called "Wall West" by many is located at the George S. Patton Museum. This still begged the question for me; why was the Patton Museum out in the middle of nowhere?

As students of WWII will probably know, Chiriaco Summit is where the General set up his desert training sites for the war in Africa. In thousands of square miles in California and Arizona (yes, I was practically in AZ) the US trained its tank and desert warfare fighters. It is said that the tracks from tanks etc. can still be seen in the sand after all these years.

I have been unable to find out why the West Coast Vietnam Wall was placed here, but someone at the museum told me that the board of Directors wanted to honor Vietnam vets, they had the space available and so it was done.

This memorial, like some others, honors all who served and you can arrange to have your name or that of a buddy, unit, etc added for as little as $10.00. There are plenty of spaces still available.

You can see from the plaques that a number of approaches can be used. As a member of Patriot Guard, I am always proud to see that we are represented.

We all know the Wall in DC and I have written, previously, of Wall South in Pensacola. Fla. and now Wall West. You may be surprised to know that there is, also, a Wall North! I promise to write more about this one in the not too distant future.

Go here, if you would like to know more or arrange a name placing on Wall West;

www.generalpattonmuseum.com