Nebraska XII

Oakland lies about 60 miles north east of Omaha and I found this site there.

On a corner, amid artillery and other items is the Charles Rooth Memorial.

He is listed along with several others from previous wars and one other from Vietnam.

Among the numerous pavers that make up the plaza of this setting, I found a few others that said Vietnam, but it was not clear if they were lost there or passed on later or are simply being remembered.

Next time, on the 3rd of February, we will revisit New Mexico, so join me there, as always, at 9:00am.

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

Massachusetts X

I have posted , previously, about a memorial in Charlestown, part of the Bostom area and you can find that post elsewhere on this site.

After taking those pics I drove a couple of blocks and decided to grab something to eat. After parking near a restaurant, I started to walk over and stumbled upon this site, nearly hidden from site. If there had not been a flag flying, I might have missed it all together,

 Located at 40 Warren Street it s actually a duel memorial to both Vietnam and Korea.

It is called the Charlestown Veterans Memorial Park and, while small,l is really quite lovely.

No individual names are listed here, but this speaks for them all.

So, should you find yourself in the Charlestown area, take a minute to visit and remember.

Next time, on the 28th, we will return to Nebraska, so join me there,as always, at 9:00am.

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

Maryland XIII

I returned, recently, to my elementary school to visit a memorial to one of my classmates. He was killed in 'Nam and the school has placed a plaque with his likeness in the foyer of the building. A scholarship fund was created in his name and for the last, nearly, 50 years, a student has benefited.

Actually, three of my schoolmates were lost in 'Nam and while I was there the Principal asked me to help her create a memorial for all three and I was thrilled to agree. We were all in "Nam at the same time, give or take a month or two. More on the new memorial at a later date.

The small plaques have the names of the 49 students that have been awarded the scholarship over the years

Frank "Trippy" Streeks was an all around good guy. He was smart, funny and a skilled athlete. After elementary school he went to a different High School than I did so I didn't see him every day like I did through the eight grade. Shortly after graduation we each went off to 'Nam, not really knowing the other was there. I came home. Trippy did not. I guess all of us that made it back wonder, often I suppose, why me, why did I make it back and Trippy (or someone else) did not?

This memorial was hard to see. I lost buddies in the war as we all did, but this was somehow different. I guess it is because I knew Trippy and the other guys for many years. We were kids together, and in many ways became men together and as always the question, why me?

I have been told it is OK to let you in on the fact that WJLA7 has been working on a piece about my A Means to Heal project. It is part of their ABC7 Stories...which is a new brand at WJLA-TV focusing on long form stories that are captivating, compelling stories that are more than the usual few second sound bites one sees on the regular news.

What happens is that as part of the "regular" newscasts a short segment of the longer story is shown and viewers are encouraged to go to WJLA's on line presence to watch the whole segment. The A Means to Heal story is currently in the editing stages and will be available before the end of the month. I will, certainly, keep you posted about that. The process of making this has been fascinating and I am extremely honored to have been part of the effort. I am hopeful that some folks will see it and then visit A Means to Heal, for me, it's all about getting the word out, especially to vets.

In the meantime, here is the URL to their site if you want to check out some of these "long form" stories.

http://wjla.com/features/abc7-stories

Be sure to check out Left Behind, a great documentary on items left behind at The Wall. It is fascinating and if you are a vet, perhaps healing, too.

This has been a really exciting opportunity for me to work with Jay Korff and Kevin Drennen from WJLA and I cannot thank them enough for their interest, understanding, and patience, not to mention their professionalism and expertise in seeing this through. We all, especially Jay and Kevin, spent a lot of hours putting this together. I will let you know when it is available and I hope you enjoy it.

Next time, on the 23rd, we will venture back to Massachusetts, so, please join me there, as always, at 9:00am.

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

Maine X

I know that last time I said we would return to Maryland today, but, somehow I managed to skip over Maine. Don't want to do that and in keeping with the alphabetical nature of these posts, today: Maine.

This small memorial honors the four from the York area that paid the ultimate price.

 I am not sure what this memorial was made from but as you can see the names and info are hard to read

The four  names, date of loss, where they were lost and their units are inscribed upon the memorial along with a few other details and the top inscription is from the poem For the Fallen, by Lawrence Binyon:

"They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old: Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning...."

It sits just outside the Virginia Weare Parsons Education Center and the ground around it was recently upgraded and improved by local vets and cemetery staff..

The memorial is under the care of the First Parish Cemetery located at 108 York Street.

This another of the far too many memorials about which I can find very little information. If you are from the area or know something about it, I would really like to hear from you and I will update new info here,

So, next time, on the 18th, we will revisit Maryland as previously promised. Join me there, as always, at 9:00am.

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

Ireland, County Mayo, Castlebar

Oddly, we are right back to Ireland! This time, however, it is to honor four from County Mayo who were lost in Vietnam.

These men, among many others, volunteered to fight along side us in Vietnam. In a later post, I will tell the whole story of the Irish who put their lives on the line for the Vietnamese, but today I will simply share these photos from Mayo.

About an hour or so north of Galway, in the west of Ireland, the Mayo Peace Park Garden of Remembrance sits in an old grave yard along the side of one of the major roads in to the town.

The Peace Park honors the many Irish who have served their country and paid the ultimate price.

Nearby, is a memorial to those who fought in causes along side the U.S. and this is where the four men who died in Vietnam are honored.

These doves, a universal symbol of peace, are prominently displayed on each side of the memorial.

The unknown soldier, now arguably a thing of the past, is remembered here, also.

There are many other memorials here and a walk through the graveyard is amazing. The old Celtic crosses are always beautiful to me and so symbolic of so much of Irish history.

Next time, on the 13th, we will return to Maryland, so, as always, join me there at 9:00am.

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

Left Behind

Well, we are back on track now, back to posting about Vietnam memorials.

Today, I have a very special post for you.

As you probably know visitors to the Wall often leave things behind. A memento, or a personal item, or sometimes something as simple as a flag.

What you may not know is that every single thing left behind by visitors is collected every day and sent to storage facilities in the area, where it is catalogued and stored. Currently, two warehouses are being used to maintain all the items. There are plans, I believe to create a rotating display of these items once the Education Center is complete on the mall.

 Jay Korff, a reporter for ABC7, along with Kevin Drennen, has created a documentary about these items. It aired this past November and he has given me permission to post it here. This film is part of series the station has created called News Worth Watching and I think you will find it different from what we usually see on the news.

I think you will be absolutely amazed at the job these two pros did and at the myriad of items left at The Wall.

So, now, please take a little time to view this wonderful piece and please tell your family, friends, and especially vets about it. Its healing power is not to be denied.

http://wjla.com/news/local/left-behind-the-stories-behind-the-items-left-at-the-vietnam-veterans-memorial-wall

Please let me know what you think and if you like it, let ABC7 know too so that they will continue to produce interesting, timely and in this case, healing, presentations.

I will, soon, be posting more news about these compelling projects, so, stay tuned!

Next time, on the 8th, we will venture back, believe it or not to Ireland, this time to visit a Vietnam memorial so, join me there, as usual, at 9:00am.

To see other Vietnam memorials from around the country, please click on a state name on the left side of this page.