This will be the last visit to this magnificent site in Anchorage and today I will share the second of the two panels here.
This portion speaks to The Great One: Denali, whose strength and majesty are one with the people and spirit of Alaska and her veterans.
The thirteen verticals represent the thirteen original states.
The hands are from an "Honor Guard" releasing the great American Eagle.The Eagle soars to the summit of Denali.
The panels are supposed to be viewed, touched and enjoyed from both sides of the panel.
So, I have told the story elsewhere on this site about the original Vietnam memorial that sat upon this spot and the legal issues that accompanied it, and posted more recently about the new memorial here to the 57 from the state who were lost in Nam. The site has expanded greatly, due in some part to those court rulings, and now honors all veterans in a much more dignified and memorable way.
This is my friend John Spitzberg standing at the list of names of those lost in Nam. This trip would not have been possible without John's support and encouragement. In fact, John and I drove to Alaska from Maryland on my very first venture in to this project, so in many ways he is responsible for everything that came after. I an incapable of expressing enough gratitude to this veteran, adventurer, mentor, and friend.
It was moving and inspiring to revisit this site after many years and to those who created this wonderful memorial, hats off!
So, on the 21st we will revisit Arizona, so join me there, as always, at 9:00am.
To see additional memorials from Alaska, or any other state, please click the state name on the left side of this page.
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