Arizona XV

The Vietnam Memorial Trail was the dream of a couple of Vets from the Peoria, AZ. area. They wanted a place to reflect upon the war, the sacrifices so many made, and just to remember.

In February of 2009 they had the trail in place.

The trail from the trail head to the flag is 1,429 feet and all along the path are markers telling some of the story or memorial markers to specific individuals.

 There are 15 narrative markers and 27 memorializing specific people.

The trail is not difficult and once you reach the top there are a couple of benches along with the dedication marker and the flag. The view from the top is quite beautiful.

I noticed that folks had built small cairns in several places. I looked up what these might mean and it seems that cairns have been used since long before history for any number of reasons. Here, I like to think they are a sign of respect, but one cannot be too sure. I placed the small stone on the top of this one, you can barely see it here as it blends so well with the stone upon which it rests.

There is some concern that this land will be sold by the government and this memorial may be lost, those involved are working hard to have the city of Peoria purchase the site and preserve the memorial.

Next time, on the 13th, we will once again visit California, so join me there, as usual, at 9:00am.

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

Texas XI

116 miles west of Dallas is the town of Ranger. I knew they had a memorial there so I headed in that direction. The memorial was located in a small park and was easy to find. Ranger is a really small town. It had a population of under 2500 in the 2010 census and as I have said so many times before, I was amazed at what small towns manage to do for their own. I have been to states that have no official state memorial and yet, these small communities manage to find a way to honor their sons and daughters.

It was a bright and hot day and the usual issues with reflection were rampant but the memorial still shines through honoring those from the area.

The back names those involved in the project and what appears to be additional names, as so often happens, added later. I read that this was dedicated in 2007.

Nearby, this reminded of the POW/MIAs stands guard.

 

A short distance away, in the same park, I found this older, more general, remembrance for those who served. It is dated 1998.

A word of warning if you decide to visit this memorial. I was cited by the local police for exceeding the speed limit by 5 miles an hour. This happened in a practically stereotypical speed trap. The cop was uncommunicative and unfriendly, rude actually. He insisted that the fine would be $105 dollars, but after paying all the "fees" for paying by phone, using a Visa card and several other nonsensical fees, it was nearly $200 dollars, so be careful if you go!

Next time, on May 1, we will travel back to Virginia, so join me there, as usual at 9:00am

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

Pennsylvania XIV

On a beautiful but chilly Spring day I found this memorial on the corner of Hamilton and 5th Streets in Allentown. It stands in front of the Federal Court House and was erected by local Realtors. I'm not sure I have seen a memorial erected by Realtors before, interesting.

Names the Lehigh Valley Vietnam Memorial it lists the many names of those from the area who gave their all. Researching this site was a little confusing because there is another Lehigh Valley Memorial in the area.

Seeing the names that were later identified and added to this site makes me wonder if I have ever seen one where this was not the case?

Just down the other side of the street, I found this small memorial to all the women who have supported war efforts throughout our history. It is not specifically Vietnam, but her uniform looks as if it might be, I think the women who have been involved in war have never gotten their due, the respect they deserve, so I like to point out these memorials when I find them. No matter how few or far between they are.

So, next time we will return to Rhode Island, so join me there at 9:00am on the 11th.

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

Colorado XV

As I said in the previous post (scroll back if you missed it) Col. Beckley was not only honoring American Vietnam vets. He took a longer, historical, view. He made it a point to honor many others who had fought and died there. I must admit, I was surprised by the various soldiers who are commemorated from so many places. I did not know so many countries had been engaged in this conflict over more years than we were.

Surrounding Soldierstone are quite a few markers, or "Pillow Stones" and these, written in the languages of those honored tell a story that I hadn't known. In the nearly 20 years since the site was completed, what once were smaller trees and shrubs have grown to maturity and may actually hide more of these flat, geometric stones. In the rock strewn fields surrounding the site, some are easy to spot, but others were under the now larger trees and plants. I think it is possible that I may have missed some. I did count 19 and will highlight a few in each of the next several posts. I have been very fortunate to have found most of the translations from the native languages. All are haunting and beautiful.

I have, also, been able to track down some of the history of some of the units whose markers rest here. Where I know it, I will try to do them justice and honor here.

One of the most unusual, to me, was in Sanskrit! It remembers an Indian unit.

The 20th Indian Division was sent to Vietnam, at the end of WWII, to send the Japanese soldiers back to Japan and repatriate the POW's and other prisoners the Japanese had been holding. Should have been a relatively easy assignment for this crack military unit. However, the Viet Minh had other ideas and attacked the Indian soldiers. It has been said that this British/Indian involvement should be called the First Vietnam War, but that aside, some 40 of these soldiers were killed over  a period of time.

The inscription on the stone is in Hindi and Urdo and is a dedication to "All who served..."

Another fierce fighting group connected with the British were the Gurkhas. These Nepalis are credited with playing a major role in suppressing the Viet Minh until additional French forces arrived in country in 1946.

The pillow stone reads, in Nepali;

It's a bullet, a bullet

Hear it ricochet by your ear

It's beckoning war...

Japanese soldiers, still in Vietnam, were used by the British to help reinstall French authority over Vietnam. Several hundred died in the effort. 

 

I read that this is a verse from a soldier's song and given a translation that says;

 " I go to a lonely grave...in a land far across the sea..." 

I am not sure if that is correct as it says;

 "A lonely grave... Died for France  Indochina 1945-46 right on the stone.

The last one for today is the one that, perhaps, surprised me the most.

 

Arabic. It makes sense when you think of the times and the influence the British had around the world, but somehow, it had just never occurred to me that all these other soldiers had fought in and died in Vietnam. This quote from the Koran is most appropriate for these soldiers who distinguished themselves in Vietnam.

Every soul will know

                the taste of death.

There are many more of these pillow stones and more about the memorial to come so keep checking in. Join me on the 11th, Veteran's Day, at 11:00am, for an new post about Veterans Day and then on the 16th we will continue these posts from Soldierstone.

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