Georgia

I reserved some southern states until winter. I figured better to go there in January than go to Minnesota! I suppose this was the wisest choice, but I was still blindsided by how incredible cold it can get in"the sunny south!" I left Kentucky unable to photograph the memorial there due to snow cover. Nashville was bitter and raining and Atlanta was so cold I wondered if I would be able to steady the camera to take the shots!

After figuring out some directions that were not as precise as I would have liked, I found the memorial. It sits in front of the Floyd Veterans Memorial building located at 2 Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive at Piedmont Ave. The building sits across the street from the State Capitol bldg.

After photographing the memorial which is dedicated to 1584 lost, 8,534 wounded, 21 Ex-POW's and 41 MIA's (these are all honored on a Wall directly adjacent to the statue) from the state, I decided to walk into the building itself. I was so cold I needed a little warmth before moving on. I got talking with one of the guards and she sent me upstairs to the Georgia Department of Veteran's Services Offices in the building. I spent quite some time talking to people about the memorial and discovered that the plaza housing the memorials is named after Pete Wheeler. Mr. Wheeler is the current head of the department and has worked for them since 1949! Talk about service to your country and vets!