Alabama XVI

This is a repost of April 8. For some reason the pictures either disappeared or never posted, I am unsure which. Someone please let me know if you cannot see these three pictures.

I rolled into Cullman County, Alabama on a wet, rainy, dismal day. I have occasionally bragged on this site about how I have never been "weathered" out of a photo shot. I have been wet, cold, hot, knee deep in snow and all too frequently, miserable, but I always get my pics: I never know if I will ever get back to a particular location again.

Well, all that aside, this was a day that nearly broke my streak, just lousy. Then even after taking every precaution I could, I was not too happy with the resulting shots.

These are a couple that I think are OK.

Originally there was a mobile memorial that over time morphed into this one. The first memorial, 32 feet long, was constructed of painted plywood by group members of the VVA, in 1989 for that year's Veterans Day parade in downtown Birmingham.

Its popularity led the chapter to commission a new, more durable version of imported black granite. The 28-foot-long, 4-foot-tall, 5,880 pound monument is inscribed with the names of 1,209 Alabamians who died during the Vietnam War between 1963 and 1975.

As stated here on a number of occasions this number might be somewhat higher if the counting began with the death of the first soldier in 1956.

Next time, on the 13th, we will return to Georgia. Join me, as always, at 9:00am.

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