As a Vietnam veteran it has long been my desire to visit and honor as many memorial sites as I can. Now, in retirement, I have the time to to make my dream a reality.
Back in 2017 I shared some pics from my visit to Ft. Gordon and the surrounding area. One of those smaller memorials was in Columbus, a community show of gratitude and love to those who served and were lost.
In keeping with my ongoing, and seemingly growing, effort to highlight the faces seen on my journeys, the ones I call Faces of Remembrance, I returned today to that small, local, memorial and am sharing the faces from it that represent all who served.
These faces, as is the usual way, seem to be of no particular persons. Artist most often do this to avoid legal hassles down the road. Sometimes the faces or statues are a composite of several people, but I could find no indication that this was true in this case. Imagine if someday someone said "Hey, that's me and I want to be paid"or to have it taken down. What a mess that could be.
Next time, on November 5th, we will revisit Hawai'i', so join me there, as usual, at 9:00am.
To see additional memorials from Georgia, or any other state, please click on the state name on the left side of this page.
I will ask, as I do at the end of nearly 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, or anywhere you may have visited,
from the list at the left, or any place else. Please send them to the
email at the left or directly to me at Ldddad@comcast.net. Thanks!
I had seen some reporting on a Vietnam memorial in Colorado that consisted of the words "In God We Trust" covered in thousands and thousands of pennies. Recently on a trip to the area for personal reasons I decided to see if I could track it down.
Turns out that it was less than an hour from where I was staying, so I headed out. It was not until I actually arrived that I discovered that I had actually visited the site more than ten years ago.
The Leo S. Boston memorial site, when I visited, consisted of a wall dedicated to many who gave their lives for our country and a single jet airplane.You can see that post, from 11 years ago here.
It has expanded with the years.
Today, there are an additional two helicopters and some armored vehicles in addition to the aforementioned "In God We Trust."
The letters were created by Canon City High School students and the pennies were collected and cleaned before being glued in place. All of the pennies are dated from 1965 to 1971, all 58,272 of them.
The copper in the pennies is said to give a different view at different times of the day.
At first, I thought that the darker spots on the letters were missing pennies, but closer inspection showed that they were just darker.
I've, also, read that there is a statue coming. One soldier carrying another to one of the choppers for a "Dust off", no date was given for when it might be placed.
The memorial is in the Col. Leo S. Boston Park, 7.5 miles east of Canon City on US 50, on the left hand side of the road.
Next time, on the 26th, we will return to Delaware, so join me there at 9:00am.
To see additional memorials from Colorado, or any other state, please click on the state name on the left side of this page.
I will ask, as I do at the end of nearly 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, or anywhere you may have visited,
from the list at the left, or any place else. Please send them to the
email at the left or directly to me at Ldddad@comcast.net. Thanks!
This one will quick and easy. I have read for years about a small memorial on the campus of Cochise County Community College in Sierra Vista, Arizona. However, when ever I was in the area it seemed that something just got in the way of my getting there.
Not this time.
I was determined to find and add this tribute to those who did not return to this site.
Building 500 is the Administrative building on campus and on the shaded area just at its entrance sits this bench.
It was a little difficult to find as there appeared to be not a soul on campus the day I was there, early this September. bit, a little trial and error and persistence paid off. I will say it was beastly hot and I was grateful for a little shade.
Something I noted was that all those lost are remembered here, not just those who attended the College. Yeah, the total number is incorrect, but so are most of the memorials I find. The numbers as I have mentioned previously are always subject to change. The current correct numbers are 58,281 as established by the four year audit completed a year or two ago by the VVMF and the DoD. And, they could change again as new names are considered and added, if appropriate, each May.
I'll say it again, I wonder if we have added the last name?
Thank you to Cochise County CC for remembering us.
Next time, on the 21st, we will return to Colorado, so meet me there, as always, at 9:00am.
To see additional memorials from Arizona, or any other state, please click on the state name on the left side of this page.
I will ask, as I do at the end of nearly 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, or anywhere you may have visited,
from the list at the left, or any place else. Please send them to the
email at the left or directly to me at Ldddad@comcast.net. Thanks!
If you follow along on this site, you know that I have visited Alaska on a couple of occasions. One of the visits led me to Mt. POW/MIA. A Vietnam vet climbed the mountain and planted a POW/MIA flag.
I recently came across an article about how that original flag gets replaced periodically. I contacted the writer and she granted permission for me to reprint it here.
Her name is Amy Bushatz and I found the story on Military.com and I thank her for her permission to reprint here.
These Vets Climb a Mountain in Alaska to Honor POW/MIA
JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska -- It's not that there aren't other mountain peaks to climb near Anchorage, Alaska.
But for Army veteran Kirk Alkire, one is extra special: Mount POW/MIA.
Part of the vast Chugach mountain range in southern Alaska, the
ascent to the peak from nearby Eklutna Lake Road has no marked trail or
trail head, no trail maintenance and no official public parking area.
Still, Alkire has made it his personal responsibility to ascend the
mountain multiple times per year to keep fresh the POW/MIA and U.S.
flags that stand at the mountain's gusty summit.
He makes the climb in part to honor members of his former Army unit
-- 2nd Battalion, 377th Parachute Field Artillery Regiment, 4th Brigade
Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division -- who were posthumously
awarded the Prisoner of War Medal after they were abducted and killed by
Iraqi insurgents in 2007.
"We do it for the big time days -- Memorial Day, Veterans Day,
POW/MIA [Remembrance] Day," he said. "We normally nail it on those
specific days, and whenever else we're just out and about and think,
'Today's a good day to hit it.' We just do it."
Kirk Alkire swaps out the American flag at the peak of Mount POW/MIA near Anchorage, Alaska. (There was a video embedded in the story here that would not embed on A Means to Heal)
Designated
as Mount POW/MIA by the U.S. Geological Survey in 1999 in honor of
prisoners of war and troops missing in action in past and future U.S.
conflicts, the mountain stands more than 4,000 feet high and is
surrounded by other peaks, including nearby Pioneer Peak, which is over
6,000 feet high.
From entrance point to summit, the unmarked POW/MIA trail gains 3,000
feet over 1.5 miles -- a difficult haul that would test even the
fittest hiker.
Before arriving on POW/MIA hikers must also cross Gold Star Peak,
where an ever-growing memorial to fallen service members looks out over
the Cook Inlet and back across the Chugach Range
Late snow and overgrown brush can make the trek very challenging, and
local hikers are advised to bring extra gear due to high winds and
rapidly changing weather.
None of that keeps Alkire away. If anything, he said, the uncertainties make the hike better.
"We never run into anybody except sheep and goats up there," he said.
"That is another piece of it that makes it so unique and special. It is
so beautiful up there in all directions. No matter which direction you
look standing on that summit, it's just gorgeous. To me, it's a great
secret."
Alkire retired from active duty in 2008, working first as a DoD
civilian on JBER and then for Alaska Sen. Dan Sullivan as a military
liason. He is now fully retired, dedicating his time to a nonprofit that provides guides for visitors to both Gold Star Peak and POW/MIA. The organization recently guided its 100th trip up the peak.
As for the maintenance work, Alkire sees replacing the summit POW/MIA and U.S. flags as an honor -- and he's not alone.
The base exchange and a local Lowe’s store have stepped in with flag
donations to make sure Alkire always has a fresh set of flags ready.
High winds on the POW/MIA summit mean they are in constant need of
replacement.
"We're a part of the community, and most of us are vets as well. We support things like this," Ray Stewart, the Army and Air Force
Exchange Service general manager here said in 2017. "Whenever he needs a
new flag, he comes up and visits, and we get him one from clothing and
sales."
Replacing the flags on the mountain is also a group effort, Alkire
said. He makes most of his hikes with a group of other veterans or
locals, and has been known to hike two days in a row just so that
everyone who wants to go with a group can do so.
This year, after discovering problems with a box on the summit that
contains a logbook, the team made a repeat climb with a sledgehammer,
rebar and waterproof ammo can containing a new logbook -- about 30
pounds of gear, Alkire said.
They also added a set of photos and information cards in honor of the troops captured and killed in Iraq.
Alkire carries 53 dog tags with him on each hike, in honor of the 53 members of 4-25 who were killed during their 15-month Iraq deployment during 2007 and 2008.
"I love that mountain. To me, in my personal opinion, it is the most rewarding and scenic climb," he said.
This story was originally published in September, 2017.
So, once again, my thanks to Amy and Military.com for her permission to use this story and for helping to keep a tradition, started by a Vietnam vet, alive.
Next time, on the 16th, we return to Arizona. Meet me there, as always, 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.
I will ask, as I do at the end of nearly 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, or anywhere you may have visited,
from the list at the left, or any place else. Please send them to the
email at the left or directly to me at Ldddad@comcast.net. Thanks!
Back in 2013 I wrote about visiting Morgantown West Virginia and the series of small memorials to several engagements there. Recently, I was in the area once again and saw something about a plaque on a building downtown. I decided to check it out.
It turns out that it was the same location, it has just been revamped and updated. You can check out the 2013 post here.
Several wars are remembered here and as a point of interest, the blue strip on the plaza represents the Monongahela River (note the spelling difference between the county and the river) that runs through the area.
It is interesting just how little information I can find on this memorial. So, as I do fairly often on this site, I will ask your assistance. If you have any info as to the story of this site, when and why it was changed, etc., I would love to hear from you. You can reach me at the email ion the left side of the page.
Next time, on the 11th, we will revisit Alaska, so join me there, as always, at 9:00am.
To see additional memorials from West Virginia, or any other state, please click the state name on the left side of the page.
I will ask, as I do at the end of nearly 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, or anywhere you may have visited,
from the list at the left, or any place else. Please send them to the
email at the left or directly to me at Ldddad@comcast.net. Thanks!
I was surprised on my several trips to, and research about Roanoke, Virginia that I could find no memorial to Vietnam. It seemed odd that a town of this size would not have anything at all.
It was not until quite sometime later that I discovered that Vinton and Roanoke counties has joined forces to remember and honor all of their lost heroes.
This beautiful memorial does exactly that.
Actually located on a knoll in Vintner, it, appropriately, is called the High ground. All vets will know just what that means. It is at least the second memorial that I have visited with that designation. The other is in Neillsville, Wisconsin and can be seen here and here.
The gazebo like memorial was unveiled in 2011 and honors all who have been lost and all who serve.
The memorial sits on the grounds of a event facility on 11.5 acres
The High Ground designation. for those who may not know, it is said that "a soldier always looks for the high ground" as it is safer.
These are just a couple of views of the memorial and in the not too distant future I will post more with the specifics of those of our lost comrades honored here. The central flag is bronze and I think it is just beautiful.
The memorial may be located at 814 E Washington Ave, Vinton, VA 24179
Next time, on the 6th, we will revisit West Virginia, so meet me there, as always, 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, as I do at the end of nearly 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, or anywhere you may have visited,
from the list at the left, or any place else. Please send them to the
email at the left or directly to me at Ldddad@comcast.net. Thanks!
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