Seasons Greetings 2023 #2

I live in a moderately cold climate, so I thought it might be nice to share some warm climate photos.

These were all taken in Arizona and before anybody gets too worked up, I know that Arizona can have all kinds of weather, not all of it warm. I have seen thick ice covering buildings and statues, snow at times and monsoons during the season. However, my overall experience here as been more good than bad. 

So, just enjoy.

Next time, on the 2nd, one more seasonal diversion, then back to Vietnam memorials and a new year.

To see Vietnam memorials from any state, please click on a 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

Seasons Greetings 2023 #1

Happy holidays to all who celebrate Christmas or any of the many other holidays from around the world that occur at this time of year.

 

I counted several different totals from different lists, so I won't try to mention a specif number. Suffice it to say that many cultures celebrate some kind of recognition of returning light to the world.

 

Wishing you all the best

 

l

Come back on the 27th for something else. It will be a continuation of my efforts to post pictures about something other than Vietnam.

See you then at 9:00 am.

West Virginia XVIII

We will visit Morgantown HS in West Virginia again today and often until I can honor all of the men remembered here. As I have mentioned before, West Virginia lost more soldiers, per capita, then any other state and they deserve to be paid tribute.

It is unusual for a memorial to feature the pictures of all those honored and I would like to take advantage of the fact that Morgantown has opted to do just that.

This, of course, fits right into my sub-group: Faces of Remembrance.

So, as we head into a season of other distractions, take just a moment to remember these men and all the others whose families will experience another season without them.

R.I.P. brothers and sisters, you will live in our hearts forever.

Next time, on the 23rd, I will post some non-memorial pics to hopefully lighten the season (and to, once again, remind myself (and you) that I do other photography.

To see additional memorials from West Virginia, or any other state, please click on a 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

Pennsylvania XLII

 In my ongoing subset of memorial photos those of you who are regulars here (thank you) know that I feature the faces of the soldiers I find at memorials that elected to include statues, graphics or other depictions of those who served.

 

Today, I will share the face of the statue found at the beautiful Pottstown memorial.

 

 

 

It is unusual for me to post a whole photo in this Faces of remembrance series, but I wanted to point out this soldiers hand. It is supposed to be reaching out to viewers and it is said that many actually take his hand and shake it, as in greeting. Here, as I am sure I have mentioned previously, some have left artifacts: a rosary and an unknown (to me) article of some sort.

Also interesting is that this soldier is actually modeled on the brother of one of the lost listed here. This is unusual, too, as artists most often create completely fictional faces or sometimes, composites of a number of people to avoid issues down the road.

 

It astonishes me how artists, sculptors in this case, can capture so much emotion in metal, stone, or whatever their medium of choice might be. The sadness, or loneliness or resolve capture here are amazing.

Next time, on the 18th, we will visit one more memorial before I revert to my yearly habit of featuring photos of something other than memorials. It seems appropriate to celebrate the season with something more upbeat each year. So, meet me on the 18th, as usual at 9:00am, to check out a visit to West Virginia to honor several more of the lost from Morgantown High School.

 

To see additional memorials from Pennsylvania, or any other state, please click on a 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.

Oregon XXI

 As many of you know from following along, I often go back to my files to see what I have from previous sites. Many times these sites are quite large and have numerous features that deserve to be highlighted. IN fact I frequently promise to return to sites, but other things seem to get in the way.

Today, I have been browsing through some pictures from Albany, Oregon and thought I would share a couple of more with you.

Albany, as stated in the original post lies about 70 miles south of Portland. You can check out that post here.

These are just a few of the features here.

In the previous post from this site, I mentioned that someone had hung jingle bells from the POW/MIA marker and then forgot to include a picture. Better late than never since it is, once again, the right time of the year..

I, also, just read this evening that the site has, once again, been vandalized. It appears that someone ran into one of the brick display cases with a  vehicle of some sort. It happened last winter, so I hope it has been successfully repaired by now. 

Next time, on the 13th, we will return to the east coast, specifically Pennsylvania. Join me there, as usual, at 9:00 am.

To see additional memorials from Oregon, 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

Oklahoma IX

I keep being brought back to this memorial in Oklahoma City, at the Capitol.

There are several of these Bas Relief plaques (seen below) throughout the site and I thought I might try to draw out a few more of the faces from them.

This is always a bit of an imprecise exercise for me, but I will give it a shot.

As you can see from the above shot, there are several of the aforementioned Bas Relief scenes here. The following pictures were cropped out of the larger versions.

 

Each of these looses a bit in the cropping and necessary enlarging process, but the fatigue, stress, and melancholy cannot be missed or over looked. 

I will point out again that the "Big Guy" , on the right, used to greet visitors to this site, but when the town of Enid dedicated a facsimile of The Wall, the state moved him to Enid and designated the site as the official Oklahoma Vietnam memorial.

Next time, on the 8th, we will revisit Oregon, so join me there, as usual at 9:00am.

To see additional memorials from Oklahoma, 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

North Carolina XXII

Returning, briefly to Triad Park in Colfax, North Carolina to share a couple more of the many features and tributes here.

Throughout the park are many small, individual markers to different groups.

Note the dates on this stone. It is extremely rare to find 1956 included at any memorial. As I have stated many times here, the first American soldier was TSgt. Fitzgibbons who was killed in 1956. Thank you to North Carolina for getting it right.

Various engagements are remembered here.

Earlier, I thanked N.C for getting something right, however, now I must take small issue with the above. P. McCree Thornton is credited with this quote (therefore, not unknown) who served two tours in 'Nam with the U. S. Navy. It appears in a book of fiction he wrote and seems to be a very slight misquote or paraphrase of something Theodore Roosevelt said many, many years earlier.

We will return to Colfax in the future to explore additional features of this magnificent memorial site.

Next time, on the 3rd of December, we will revisit Oklahoma, so join me there, as always, at 9:00 am.

To see additional memorials from North Carolina, or any other state, please click on a 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

Thanksgiving 2023

So, as we give thanks as a Nation, a family, or just as an individual be sure to include in these thoughts the more than 1,000,000 service men and women who have given their lives defending, in one way or another, our country and way of life since the Revolutionary War.

Whatever our own issues and troubles may be, we still owe them our everlasting gratitude.

Happy Thanksgiving

Come back on the 28th as we return to North Carolina, meet me there, as usual, at 9:00 am.

To see Vietnam memorials from any state in the country, and a few outside of it, click on the state name on the left side of this page.

If you are following along at all, you will have seen that a number of you, like Mike Minnick and several others, have responded to my request to send me memorials you have seen in your area or where you may have traveled. These submissions help expand the knowledge of how we have remembered the men and women who served or were lost in 'Nam and you help to honor them. If you have any such photos, I would love to see them. Please send them along to the email at the left and I will gladly share them here.

New York XXX

One more set of pics submitted by Mike Minnick. These, too, are from the site at Mt. Morris which is about 60 miles, more or less, due east of Buffalo.

Please check out my other posts from Mt Morris here and here.

Mt. Morris is a small town, less than 5,000 in the 2010 census, once more testifying to my ongoing astonishment as to what small towns are capable of doing to honor their veterans.

Reflecting a common theme at these and truthfully most veterans sites, this wall welcomes all who visit.

Each of our numerous involvements is honored here.

Note the dates on the Vietnam marker, omitting eight years of our efforts.

A final reminder to those who may have never served which is, actually, about 98% of the Nation.

Check back on Thursday for a Thanksgiving wish to all.

To see additional memorials to those who served, from New York, or any other state, please click on a state on the left side of this page.

If you are following along at all, you will have seen that a number of you, like Mike Minnick, have responded to my request to send me memorials you have seen in your area or where you may have traveled. These submissions help expand the knowledge of how we have remembered the men and women who served or were lost in 'Nam and you help to honor them. If you have any such photos, I would love to see them. Please send them along to the email at the left and I will gladly share them here.

New Mexico XXVI

Lordsburg, New Mexico lies about 60 miles west of Deming where we visited the last time I posted about New Mexico. Lordsburg has a beautiful veterans park that honors many and I will share that with you at a later time.

Today, however, I want to quickly share what must have been the original memorial in the town.

 

Situated directly in front of Court House is this stone marker that seems to have been originally dedicated to Vets of the World Wars.

There is what appears to be a newer plaque added to include not only those but also Korea and Vietnam.

It intrigues me when I see groups of names with no distinction made as to who served when or where. How much more trouble could it be? Perhaps it makes no difference.

Next time, on the 21st, we will revisit New York, so join me there, as usual, at 9:00am.

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

If you are following along at all, you will have seen that a number of you have responded to my request to send me memorials you have seen in your area or where you may have traveled. These submissions help expand the knowledge of how we have remembered the men and women who served or were lost in 'Nam and you help to honor them. If you have any such photos, I would love to see them. Please send them along to the email at the left and I will gladly share them here.

Veterans Day 2023

Every year at Veterans Day I try to think of something new to mark the occasion.

It is well known at least among those who have served that Veterans Day started as a remembrance of the signing of the treaties that ended WWI and was known as Armistice Day. Later the name was changed to include and honor all who have served.

This is an important distinction. Far too many people confuse Veterans Day and Memorial Day.

Veterans Day honors all, those who gave some.

Memorial Day honors those lost: those who gave all.

 See more here:

Veterans Day 2023: Founding, Fact & Meaning

 

 

Each year a competition is held to choose a representative poster, this is the 2023 winner.

So, this year, if you have the day off or even if you do not, take just a moment to remember the Vets who have served this country for you and be grateful for their sacrifices.

Next time, on the 16th, we will revisit New Mexico, so meet me there, as usual, at 9:00 am.

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

If you are following along at all, you will have seen that a number of you have responded to my request to send me memorials you have seen in your area or where you may have traveled. These submissions help expand the knowledge of how we have remembered the men and women who served or were lost in 'Nam and you help to honor them. If you have any such photos, I would love to see them. Please send them along to the email at the left and I will gladly share them here.

Michigan XIII

We have visited Veterans Memorial Pointe, near Troy, before and as promised I will share some additional features of this lovely tribute.

Throughout the park there are any number of these small, nameless, tributes to our various involvements over the years.

Just beyond the bridge lies the memorial to our brothers and sisters who were lost in Vietnam.

 

Just below a now small tree is a plaque which is nameless, but perhaps the iconic image and sentiments here are, in fact, enough.

Detail from above

There are a number of other details here that I will share soon.

Later this week please return here for a brief Veterans Day salute at 11am on Saturday.

If you are following along at all, you will have seen that a number of you have responded to my request to send me memorials you have seen in your area or where you may have traveled. These submissions help expand the knowledge of how we have remembered the men and women who served or were lost in 'Nam and you help to honor them. If you have any such photos, I would love to see them. Please send them along to the email at the left and I will gladly share them here.

Massachusetts XXXIV

In the years I have been writing these posts I have visited Boston a number of times. My intent has always been to visit and photograph a memorial in a place called Back Bay Fens. For a variety of reasons, it never happened.

On a recent trip to visit relatives who now live in Boston, I determined that this was the time. I told all my family that I was going to leave early on the day we visited, take the pics and then join them wherever they might be.

We went to my nephews apartment and it turns out that he lives, quite literally, across the street from BBF. We walked maybe 5 minutes and I was standing in front of the elusive memorial. Another example, of which there have been quite a few, supporting my wife's belief that this project was "meant to be!"

The Fens and therefore, the memorial, sit quite literally in the shadow of Fenway Park.

The memorial site is the location of several other memorials and is overlooked by a large, imposing statue of an Angel, part of the much larger WWII memorial.

The dates here ascribe the years of the war from 1962 to 1975. any one who is a regular here knows that this is one of my pet peeves as the first soldier was actually killed in 1956. I am never quite sure if this another example of revisionist history or some kind of an error.

 

In the not too distant future, I will add more from this site, so keep checking back to see these and many other memorials from around the country.

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

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

If you are following along at all, you will have seen that a number of you have responded to my request to send me memorials you have seen in your area or where you may have traveled. These submissions help expand the knowledge of how we have remembered the men and women who served or were lost in 'Nam and you help to honor them. If you have any such photos, I would love to see them. Please send them along to the email at the left and I will gladly share them here.

Maryland XXXIX Redux

It took a little longer than I expected to get back up to speed, but roday, here is the afore-promised post from Maryland.

Ocean City, Maryland is the ultimate beach resort in the state. It currently has a population of around 7,000 year round. But then, summer happens and it explodes, the miles of sandy beaches, amusement parks and other fun possibilities draw in 100's of thousands of vacationers.

One young man from Ocean City was lost in Vietnam.

He is memorialized in front of the current City Hall which is housed in what used to be a school: the school he attended as a kid.

Just to the right of the front entrance is the memorial.

The plaque stands adjacent to the WWII memorial.

PFC Berger stands remembered and honored here, once again a testament to what small towns do for their vets.

Nearby, bordering on O.C., is the even smaller town of Berlin and at a future date I will post about those several who were lost from there are remembered.

Next time, we will return to Massachusetts, to a memorial  I have been trying to visit for years. So, meet me there, as always, at 9:00 am on the 4th of November.

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

If you are following along at all, you will have seen that a number of you have responded to my request to send me memorials you have seen in your area or where you may have traveled. These submissions help expand the knowledge of how we have remembered the men and women who served or were lost in 'Nam and you help to honor them. If you have any such photos, I would love to see them. Please send them along to the email at the left and I will gladly share them here.