Maine XIV

I have written, previously, about the memorial in Bangor, Maine and you can find that elsewhere on this site, so, today I want to return to my subcategory of Faces of Remembrance.

These three, those who survived are a little different, I think. Often, survivors are depicted differently. they are, understandably, distraught or anguished. Often depicting the Thousand Yard Stare.

Somehow, I see these are somehow, calmer, yet there is always the sadness, the resignation.

Someday, perhaps, I will gather all the faces I have found on this journey and place them all together.

Located at the Cole Land Transportation Museum, (405 Perry Road)

Next time, on March 5th, we will return to Maryland, so 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.

Georgia VIII

Fort Benning, usually said to be in Georgia, actually rests in both Georgia and Alabama. Today, however, we will concentrate on the Infantry Museum which actually is in Georgia.

Right at the edge of the parking area is this POW/MIA memorial. Placed by the Sergeant Majors Association, it originally sat elsewhere, but was moved here to be near the new museum.

 Elegant in its simplicity it honors all POW/MIAs.

The reverse lists the numbers of POW/MIAs from our most recent wars. I think that the Vietnam entry is interesting as it seems to offer a range of MIAs. Odd to me that we don't seem to know how many there are. I wonder why that is? It seems that we can either account for them or we can't, therefore making them missing. Anyone have any knowledge of this? If so, you can reach me at the email to the left or here, in the comments section. I would love to be able to say more about this.

Note the eagle here. He has broken the chains of bondage, hopefully as all our missing will someday do.

We will return to Ft. Benning in the future as there is a lot here to show you and write about..

Next time, however we will visit another memorial to Vietnam lost in Tipperary, Ireland! So, join me there on the 23rd to hear more of this interesting story, as always, at 9:00am.

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

Florida XIII

I have written, previously, about Key West, but there is so much in this new memorial that I want to show you some more of it today. I expect that I will write about this wonderful memorial again in the future.

Located at the intersection of Jose Marti Drive and Truman Avenue, Bayview Park, the Key West Vietnam Living Memorial is a beautiful spot, indeed.

The intent of the Wall is to honor anyone from Key West, or living in Key West, as of the end of the war in 1975. Those who came later are honored with paver bearing their names. Those who were lost are remembered here, too.

Many illustrations are featured  on the Wall.

We will return here in the future to see more of this remarkable site.

Next time, on the 18th we will venture back into Georgia. So, meet me there, as always, at 9:00am.

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

Delaware IX

Steve and I returned to Delaware recently to see if we could locate a few more memorials and revisit a few that have been updated since we were last here.

Our first stop was Newark, home of University of Delaware, home of the Blue Hens. One of the most famous grads, at least in the sports world, is Joe Flacco QB of the Baltimore Ravens.

It is a lovely little town like so many college towns with old Georgian (?) buildings on the campus and streets full of students.

We located the memorial on the corner of Academy and E. Main.

It was originally a WWII memorial made of wood with a plaque attached, but has been rebuilt and now honors Korean and Vietnam vets, too. I found it interesting that there is only one name form Korea and 17 from Vietnam.

The memorial is quite simple and yet, manages to honor all in a simple and
dignified manner.

In the future we will see a couple more new ones we found and two that have been greatly updated.

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

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

California XXI

This memorial stands to honor those who were POWs or are still MIAs, yet unaccounted for, even after all these years.

It was first unveiled in 1992 and takes up the whole block long side of a building on Pacific Avenue in Venice.

It honors the 2,273 who were POWs or still MIA at the time.

These lost are listed by their state or in a few cases their country of origin.

The memorial first came to my attention when I read a story about how it had been defaced. When I read it, it was not known who the perpetrator was, but since then he was caught and sent to jail for 4 years and must pay $38K in restitution. A second person was later arrested, but I could find no info on his fate.

The wall was restored. Only to be defaced once again. This time the idiot has not been identified and police do not think the incidents are related.

There was some talk about not restoring it this time. but, sounder minds prevailed and funds were raised to have it redone.

It was rededicated this past May (2017), on Memorial Day and I visited in early September.

We had a little trouble tracking it down but with repeated starts we finally found it. The roads in Venice are a little hard to navigate. Its address is listed as 614 Pacific Avenue. Venice is a part of Los Angeles, so if you are there go see it before something else happens to it.

Next time, on the 8th, we will travel cross country to Delaware. Join me there, as always, at 9:00am.

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