Michigan XV

The very first pictures I ever took in Michigan were in Monroe's Heck Park. 

There is just so much there that I can keep coming back to it for something new to post. You can see some of those past posts here and here.

A few more of the features follow.

Pics like this always make me think vets were actually involved in the design of a memorial.

I  have posted this one before, but as we are just past celebrating our independence, I thought I would make one more reminder of what it takes to maintain it.

These numbers have not been updated, as far as I know, since I visited some years ago. It is safe to say that they have increased by at least 10,000 since the Vietnam war.

To see additional memorials from Michigan, or any other state, please click on a state name on the left side of this page. Please note that Canada, Ireland, and Puerto Rico have been added to the list.

Next time, on the 14th, we will venture back to Minnesota, so meet me there, as always, at 9:00 am.

If you are following along at all, you will have seen that a  number of you, like Joan from Wisconsin, Tony from Texas, Mike from Maryland, Ron, and Molly from Florida have responded to my request to send me memorials you have seen in your area or where you may have traveled. I even got one from Ireland! 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. Thanks, once again, to all who have contributed.

Michigan X

Back in March I wrote a post about the service and sacrifice of the many women who served in Vietnam. I was having trouble with my computer that day and the pictures would not post and I promised to return to the issue. You can read that post here.

Today, I have high hopes that the pics will post and our courageous comrades will get some of the respect they so rightly deserve.

This face comes from the lone statue in Heck Park in Monroe, Michigan. As I have stated before, our women comrades are usually depicted as nurses and truthfully all of those who are included on The Wall were.If you go back and read the post from last March listed above, you will  see so many more that perished in our efforts in 'Nam. But, here you will notice that he woman whose face is featured is dressed in flight gear, still a nurse I am sure, but, uniquely attired.

Here is her face.

This “Women Who Served” Monument was added in the spring of 2008. The plaque describes the various roles (non-combatant) that women played during the war in Vietnam and describes the similarities of what they had to endure alongside of the men. Of the thousands who served, there are eight women’s names on The Wall in Washington D.C., but, 56 more died in service to the people of Vietnam.

The plaque below the statue reads:

Next time, on the 28th, we will return to Mississippi, so join me there, as always, at 9:00am.

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

Michigan VI

This memorial is located in Lansing and is called the Michigan Vietnam Veterans Memorial. The name differs because, as long time readers know, there is another Michigan Vietnam memorial in Mount Pleasant. That one can be seen by clicking on Michigan, on the left, and scrolling through 'til you find it.

Built in 2001 to honor the 2651 lost or missing, the memorial was refurbished in 2008 and 9 MIA's located over the years were re-designated as lost. I have written before about the efforts of the joint committee from both nations to repatriate all MIA's and this is a indicator of what can be accomplished.( Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command ) According to the provided link, the effort seems to be in disarray at the moment. Hopefully, it can regroup and I hope it never ends until every single person lost is fully accounted for and returned to their country and their loved ones.

This memorial is a 120 foot arch, ten feet high, with all of those honored listed by the country in which they lived. Benches are provided for meditation or contemplation.

Located at The Hall of Justice between Ottawa and Allegan Streets in an open area with a few trees and the usual flags.

I like this memorial, I like them all, but I think it is an interesting example of something I have mentioned before on this site. Memorials tend to have a "feel" to them. Some are clearly designed by the average guy who went to 'Nam and others have a more "corporate" or as I call it "State" feel to them. The non "State" ones sometimes feel a little busy, lots going on, like the one in Heck Park, in Monroe, MI. which I think is great. You can see what the vets involved really wanted us to see and understand (see Michigan memorials, as above) and others like this one, or the one in Boscawan, NH. seem, just more packaged, somehow. I am not sure that this is a problem, just an observation.

Next time, join me in Minnesota at 9:00am on the 21st of November.

To see other posts and memorials from Michigan, or any other state, click the state's name on the left side of this page.

Memorial Day 2010

Today, 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 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 30. Today 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. The sign is old enough that nothing after Vietnam has been included, but it still delivers a sobering message.

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

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

Michigan IV, Heck Park II

Here are the pictures I did not post on the last page. They include additional photos of the memorial itself, the clergy site (note that Chaplains were dubbed "Sky Pilots") and a plaque and a tree dedicated to POW/MIAs.

There are bricks around the walkways dedicated to any number of veterans, among these are stones to George A. Custer, Rolling Thunder and any number of individuals.

This is a great park and, again, if in Michigan, please visit, it covers a lot of territory!

Michigan III, Heck Park

The Monroe County Vietnam Memorial (not too far from Detroit) is named for Army Captain Norman W. Heck who was lost in action in 1964. This park is interesting because the people of Monroe County chose to build a memorial to all who served, and an adjacent memorial to all who perished or are MIA. In addition there is a separate memorial to the only remaining MIA from the county. Further, there is a memorial to the ever growing number of those who have perished as a result of their service and sacrifice long ago. These memorials are becoming more common as we age and the aftermath of agent orange (currently, Diabetes and 21 kinds of cancer) become recognized and take their toll as the "wounds that never heal."

The site consists, also, of two era choppers, (Huey and Cobra), the tribute to women mentioned earlier on this site, a memorial to Clergy, and the "Chained Eagle" representing the need for a full accounting of POW/MIAs.

A unique feature is that the Clergy memorial depicts an impromptu "alter" of stacked C-ration boxes.

In an effort to make the park more family friendly, a museum has been added and a playground and picnic area. The museum was closed on the day that I visited.

You can find additional details here;

http://www.vietnamveterans142.org/Heck%20Park.htm

The address is;

Captain Norman W. Heck Park
1095 North Dixie Highway (near Interstate 75)
Monroe, Michigan 48162

This is a lovely and fitting tribute to Captain Heck as well as all others who served and I recommend that you visit if in the area.

As I posted the pictures from this site, I realized that I have many more than is allowed per post, so I will post the others on the next page.

Michigan

I think it is about time for me to give up on believing in coincidences. I have no explanation for why, after posting the last about the service of women, that the very next monument I go to has the above as a large part of its story. I will post more on this site later, but I wanted the full weight of this to sink in and stand on its own. Be sure to enlarge and read the dedication plaque. It says it all so much better than I ever could.

It occurs to me that I spoke to the service of our Grandmothers, Mothers and sisters in the previous post and that I should have mentioned, now, our daughters, too.