Maryland XV

Chesapeake Beach is a small town nestled on the shores of the Chesapeake Bay. The town wanted to create a remembrance for those from the area that at made the ultimate sacrifice for their country.

A small piece of land, right on the water became available and a memorial was designed and built. There are markers for each service and after 9/11 markers for first responders were added.there is a sign labeled Honor Roll with a list of names but no designations of which war these people fought in or there status is given. there are stars next to a couple of the names and one assumes that these were lost, but it is not clear.

Just feet beyond the main wall of the memorial rests a memorial specifically to Vietnam.

The Vietnam memorial donated by Nam Knights lists no names, just the dedications and the map and years of the war.

I know I may sound like a broken record, but once again I am astounded by what some small towns step up and do for their soldiers. One could assume that since no names are listed here that perhaps no one from Chesapeake Beach was lost in 'Nam, and yet, they, a town of about 3,000, with the help of Nam Knights of America, Old Line Chapter, have honored the many.

The memorial site may be found at the intersection of  Rte 260 and  Chesapeake Beach Road.

Next time, on the 4th, I hope to have a special post, check back then to see what is up.

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

Georgia V

Last week I returned to Atlanta to find an eternal flame about which I had read an article. As so often seems to be the case when researching these things the info I had turned out to be incorrect. After driving somewhat aimlessly for a bit, I decided to go into the capitol building itself and see if I could get some more accurate information.

The original article said that the flame was on the grounds of the capitol building but after circumventing it and not finding it, just to be sure, I went in side.

The Georgia State Trooper manning the desk could not have been nicer, but he was a bit unsure about what I was looking for so he called over his colleague and we determined that it was not far away and they gave me directions.

His help took me, once again, to the Pete Wheeler Georgia War Veterans Memorial Plaza where the Georgia Vietnam memorial is located. It turns out that the flame had been relocated some time fairly recently.I have written, previously about the Georgia Vietnam memorial and Pete Wheeler and you can find that elsewhere on this site.

Also, to my great surprise, we came upon the original Georgia Vietnam memorial, now located, too, at the same site. I am always thrilled when I find something I didn't expect on this journey.

This nearby sign gives some explanation.

Adjacent to this historic memorial is the eternal flame that began this particular journey. Each of the four faces honors a different war.

When I first visited this site a number of years ago it was so cold I had trouble getting shots that I liked. This time the new photos of the Georgia Vietnam Memorial are better and perhaps I will post them here in the future.

For now, next time we will make a trio back to Maryland, so join me there as usual at 9:00am on the 29th of June.

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

Connecticut XII

Windsor Locks, Connecticut is one of those very few towns that builds memorials even if they have not lost anyone in the war.

This memorial, dedicated to those that served, sits at Memorial Hall on the corner of Ct 140 and Ct 159 in Windsor Locks, among several others that do list the names of their lost.

Just recently, however, I ran across a name not, as I said, listed, so I feel it is appropriate to list it here.

SMAJ John R. Hubbard

Oddly, as I read the names of those that served on the plaque, I did not find SMAJ Hubbard's name. These things happen as I have mentioned in other posts. I have rarely, if ever, seen a memorial that has not been updated after its completion. I mentioned a few posts back that three more names were added to The Wall this past May (2017) bringing the total to 58,318. the Wall was dedicated in 1982, so we have been correcting it ever since, 37 years and we do not know if these last three will be the last, probably not.

Next time, on the 23rd, I will have just returned from Georgia and Alabama so I hope to have some new pictures for you. So, join me then, on the 23rd at 9:00am to see if I found anything new.

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

Colorado XXVI

I was cruising through Colorado and came upon the town of Olathe and for some reason I turned down a street and found the American Legion. I decided to ask if they were aware of any memorials in the area, but found no one on site. I walked around behind the building and found this memorial.

It lists and honors all from the area who have served their country and while no designations were made as to which wars these guys fought in, certainly some of them had to have served in 'Nam.

The only thing, other than names, were the service designations across the top and American Legion badges.

The American Legion post is located on this corner in Olathe, Colorado.

Next time, on the 13th, we will take another trip to Connecticut, so join me there at 9:00am.

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

California XVIII

I just needed to stop for a bit so I took the next exit and pulled into a town called Visalia. Driving down Mineral King Avenue I saw a sign for the Convention Center and I pulled in to ask about the area. I discovered that the Center had a Vietnam memorial on site. I couldn't believe my luck, except as I have said before, these things happen too often for me to explain.

The memorial is not visible from the street and is located in a open area created by several parts of the building, a courtyard, I guess.


A whole wall of one of the building s has been painted with a huge mural depicting all the services, POW's, field Crosses and a large flag. It is really quite beautiful.

Standing in front of the wall is a stone marker naming the site: A generation Forever Changed.

Also, note the single name of a son lost to the war. Over and over and over again, I have marveled and been deeply touched by what some small towns (129K in this example) do for their lost, even just one guy: Victor Pietroforte.

These are just a couple of shots of some of the detail of the mural.

Visalia is about 190 miles north of Los Angeles.

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

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

The Wall of Faces

I know I said we would be visiting California today in my last post, but first, this!

In keeping with a Memorial Day theme, I want to bring this to your attention.

Rhode Island is the most recent state to complete its search for photos of  every name from the state on The Wall, making it number 21.

All of the following is taken directly from the VVMF Wall of Faces page.

"Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund’s Wall of Faces effort aims to put a face to the more than 58,318 names inscribed on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. Submitted photos are currently seen on VVMF's Wall of Faces, where family and friends can share memories, remembrances, and photos. Putting a face to every name helps further preserve the legacies of all the service members with names inscribed on The Wall. 

VVMF has dedicated Wall of Faces volunteers around the country who help locate photos of those who served and sacrificed. U.S. Army veteran Bryan Simmons began searching for photos for the Wall of Faces in 2013 and became an integral part of Rhode Island’s success. Simmons is from Attleboro, Massachusetts, which borders Rhode Island. He began writing editorials to help spread the word about the photo collection effort. After he wrote an editorial for the Providence Journal, he was contacted by Joe Cichon, a retired teacher at Bishop Hendricken High School. During his years as a teacher, Cichon taught a class on the Vietnam War where his students were tasked with gathering information, photos and stories about a Rhode Island service member. Cichon agreed to let Simmons borrow their research collection and 73 photos were uploaded to the Wall of Faces.
Simmons continued researching on his own and has since found more than 960 photos from across the country.

“Being a Veteran myself, I can't imagine anyone could make a sacrifice and only be remembered as a silhouette,” he said. “I felt researching the photos was something I could do to show people still remember.”

To date, more than 51,000 photos have been collected for the Wall of Faces and fewer than 7,000 photos are still needed to complete the effort. Rhode Island joins 20 other states in finding every photo for their fallen. The completed states include:

Alaska
Colorado
Delaware
Hawaii
Idaho
Kansas
Maryland
Minnesota
Mississippi
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Mexico
North Dakota
Oregon
Rhode Island
South Dakota
Utah
Washington
Wisconsin
Wyoming

If you have a picture of a loved one or fellow veteran whose name is on The Wall, please help VVMF honor these individuals by submitting a photo. VVMF encourages the public to submit as many photos of each service member as possible.

Along with the virtual Wall of Faces, photos and stories of the more than 58,000 veterans who made the ultimate sacrifice during the Vietnam War will also be displayed at the future Education Center at The Wall."

You may reach VVMF's office by telephone at 202-393-0090 or by email at vvmf@vvmf.org.

Fax number is 571-257-8808.
Located at:
1235 South Clark Street, Suite 910
Arlington, VA  22202

Next time, on the 8th, we will return to California, so join me there at 9:00am.

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