Memorial Day 2022

This weekend, as we gather with friends and family to celebrate Memorial Day, let us not forget the reason. Memorial Day began after the Civil War, as Decoration Day, and has gone through a number of changes over the years. What does not change is the devastating price paid by the few for so many. I found this sign in Heck Park in Monroe County, Michigan. I have written about the Park in previous posts, but I wanted to post this image on this day, May 29. Tomorrow is the original Memorial Day and even though we celebrate it, now, on the last Monday in May, May 30 will always be the "real" memorial day for many of us. This year, 2022, we happen to have the dates sync up correctly. The sign is old enough that nothing after Vietnam has been included, but it still delivers a sobering message even if the years of our involvement in 'nam are off by nearly 10.

Take a minute today to remember and read a fascinating history of Memorial Day at;

http://www.usmemorialday.org/backgrnd.html  

Also, it seems that Rolling to Remember (formerly Rolling Thunder) is alive and well and making a strong comeback in D.C. this weekend.

I just read that, now, 40 years after it was built, the The Wall is still the number 1 tourist attraction in Washington DC  visited by five million people a year.

Welcome brothers and sisters!

Next time, on the 3rd of June, we will revisit Arizona, so join me then at 9:00am.

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

Alaska XII

In traveling around the country I have come upon varied and interesting sites and it is true that not every single one of them honors only Vietnam and our brothers and sisters that served, were lost, or missing.

Alaska as I have mentioned previously does not seem to have many Vietnam memorials. I was once told that this is because the state does not want to single out a particular war or Service for special recognition.

As you know, if you have been following this effort, that this is mostly true. However, their answer to their desire to honor Alaskans that have served is to have built the memorial found on the highway between Anchorage and Fairbanks within Denali Park.

At mile marker 147.1 on the Park Highway is the memorial and I have written about it elsewhere on this site and today I want to just share the faces found here. You can find the earlier post here.

 

What I find striking about these faces is how little of them you actually can see. It makes me wonder if this is purposeful, creating an anonymity of sorts so as to, once again single out no one. Just a thought.

These faces do seem to differ quite a bit from the one I found in Nome.

Nome, 2020

While these may seem like a bit of a stretch for a Vietnam post, Alaska makes it quite clear that these are meant to represent all soldiers from the 49th state.

Next time, on the 29th , I hope to have something up for Memorial Day. Join me then at 9:00am.

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

Wisconsin XIII

 

Neillsville has one of the most interesting and expansive memorials that I have visited. What began as a remembrance for those lost or missing in Vietnam, it has expanded to include many others from other wars. You can take a look at previous posts here and several other post all listed under Wisconsin.

Today, as is so often the case these days, I want to concentrate on some of the other faces from this remarkable site.Some of these are from the 'nam section of the memorial, others , I cannot swear to that, but they are all of soldiers and those touched by war who are not soldiers, but loved ones.

This is the weary face of a Nurse, definitely from 'nam.

 The face of a soldier aiding a fallen buddy.

The buddy.

Family, the other victims of war.

The Highground in Neillsville is a magnificent place. Located in the geographical center of Wisconsin it is available to all Wisconsinites in a one day trip. For the rest of us it is located at: W7031 W Ridge Rd, Neillsville, WI 54456.

It is open 24/7 and is free to all. Go see it! 

Next time, on the 24th, we will return to Alaska, so join me there at 9:00am.

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

West Virginia XIII

The West Virginia Vietnam memorial is in Charleston, the Capitol. It is part of a larger memorial to the several 20th century wars and each has a statue of a representative soldier.

West Virginia, per capita, lost more citizens than any other state in 'Nam and more than 36,000 served and according to the latest numbers I can find 1128 were lost. A number that is much  higher than when I first wrote about West Virginia, at that time it was said to be 762.

This face represents and honors them all.

Next time, on the 19th, we will revisit Wisconsin, so join me there, as usual, at 9:00am.

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

I will ask, at the end of every post now, for anyone who has pictures of Vietnam memorials not seen here to please send them to me. I will give you full photo credit for the pic and any information about it you may know. Check your state from the list at the left.

Washington XXI

When I last wrote of Washington, I discovered that I had completely overlooked the wonderful Spokane memorial. You can find that post here. Today, I want to focus on the face of the statue. In this ongoing Faces of Remembrance segment I hope to capture the emotion of the subject and the skill of the artist in capturing it.

So, here he is, the sole representative of the 300 named here. To me, he seems war worn, tired, resigned. I wonder what you see? Let me know at the email on the left.

The memorial was created by Deborah Copenhaver Fellows and it can be found in River Front Park.

I played around a bit with the image, and after some effort, I still think he looks tired and sad.

Next time, on the 14th, we will revisit West Virginia. Meet me there, as usual, at 9:00am.

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

I will ask, at the end of every post now, for anyone who has pictures of Vietnam memorials not seen here to please send them to me. I will give you full photo credit for the pic and any information about it you may know. Check your state from the list at the left.

Virginia XXVII

Mathews, in Mathews County lies about 70 miles due East of Richmond. My friend and fellow photographer, Mike Minnick, visited and found this memorial and as always, graciously, sent it on to me.

It was originally a WWII memorial but was rededicated in 2003 to include what have become known as The 20th Century Wars. It does, however, not include anything beyond Vietnam. Perhaps it will be updated once again.\ in the future.

I have found little information about it and as always, I invite anyone with additional knowledge to get in touch. You will find an email address to the left.

The original 40 WWII lost have been joined by their brothers from other wars.

Our three lost brothers are here. 

Note the dates of the war. I am never sure, as I have stated often here, whether these numbers are intentional revisionist history or something else. Facts demonstrate that the first solder lost in Vietnam was TSGT Fitzgibbons who was killed in 1956, the year following our first entry into Vietnam. (The first American was killed in 1945 in what turned out to be an accidental shooting. The Vietminh were aiming at the guy next to him!)

Next time, on the 9th, we will revisit Washington, so meet me at 9:00am.

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

I will ask, at the end of every post now, for anyone who has pictures of Vietnam memorials not seen here to please send them to me. I will give you full photo credit for the pic and any information about it you may know. Check your state from the list at the left.