Utah

Utah, like all states I suppose, had people who backed or protested the war in Vietnam. These numbers like everywhere else ebbed and flowed with the news or politics of any particular day. It is interesting that on May 8, 1954, the Salt Lake City Tribune wrote a prophetic piece regarding the French failure at Dien Bien Phu. A French Cafe owner was quoted; "...they let our best soldiers get killed... (it was) not worth it!"

 

Utah contributed heavily to the war effort. 8.6% of her eligible citizens served making Utah the 5th most represented state. The national average was 6.9%. So, Utahans participated at a 25% higher rate than most and were behind only Alaska, Hawai'i, Washington, and Nevada. This is even more unusual because members of the LDS could get deferments for their missionary work, Utah had the highest college attendance rate in the country, and men tend to marry earlier in Utah than in other states. You may recall that married men were often not taken for service as readily as guys who were not married.

Like everyone else Utah eventually came to grips with the war and its aftermath and to welcome her sons and daughters home a beautiful memorial was built.

Honored here are the 388 men and one woman killed or who are still MIA.

The solder returning from some unnamed battle is carrying his buddy's rifle. He is surrounded by a curved, gray granite wall bearing, forever, the names of all the lost.

In 2012, Jan Scruggs asked the LDS to assist in gathering the pictures of all the lost men and women to be added to the new Education Center at The Wall. While many have been found, many more are still unavailable and it is hoped that the LDS will be able to contribute to the effort of honoring every name on The Wall. If you have pictures of any lost Vietnam vets, please contact contact the center here;

http://www.vvmf.org/how-to-submit

Otto Von Bismark's 1860's statement seems as prophetic now, as then.

Next time we will visit a small memorial in a park in Mapleton, Utah. Join me, as always, on the 21st, at 9:00am.

Illinois VIII

Not far from the Chicago memorial along the river front at Wabash Plaza is the Tri-Taylor neighborhood. A 'Nam vet owned a lot in the area and was unsure exactly what to do with it, After attending a Welcome Home parade, in 1986, he had his inspiration.

 He knew that those who had fought, like himself, and returned needed support, too, and he decided to build a Vietnam Survivors Memorial. He understood that the treatment of many Vietnam vets, upon return, needed a counter balance and that the quality of their re assimilation, if not their whole psyche could be affected by having places and people who recognized and appreciated their service and sacrifice. When I returned from 'Nam in '68, I got "baby killer" within the first three days and later when I attempted to register for college some people would not speak to me as it was obvious I was still in the Army. Perhaps not such a big deal compared to many, but I spent the next 40 years trying to pretend that it never happened. Only this project has begun to help me rethink some things.

The memorial is guarded by two dragons at the entrance. A marble walkway leads you to the 10 red pillars. He had them painted red to represent the blood we shed in that far off place, the sacrifice of our soldiers.

The pillars stand on a mosaic like map of Vietnam with major cities or operations listed and a number of flags are flying in the opposite corner. In addition, vets are welcomed home here, too. The pillars are spaced so that the whole site is wheelchair accessible.

At the base of the pillars are plaques designating individuals as "Man of the Year"; the one shown here is of Jan Scruggs. For those who may not know, Jan Scruggs founded the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial Fund that built The Wall in D.C.

The builder is also concerned with what we left behind in 'Nam. He expresses fears about the results of defoliation, water contamination and the long term, perhaps not yet fully understood, consequences of Agent Orange exposure. AO has been directly connected to Diabetes and over 40 different types of Cancer in vets and god knows what in the Vietnamese as the remnants from the spraying were dumped in the rivers of Vietnam. Another issue he speaks of is the children left behind by servicemen. After the French left Vietnam the children of their liaison with the country were welcomed into France. the U.S has had no such policy and he thinks we should.

Used frequently as a rallying point for vets, the site has been called "A Happy Place" where one may find peace, solitude and hopefully healing. There are two vacant lots adjacent to the memorial and they are (hopefully) going to be approved as additions to the site making it much larger and accessible to more vets, families and visitors.

Next time, on the 16th, we will visit a unique, personal and very moving tribute constructed by a man who lives directly across the street from this one. So, check it out,as always, at 9:00am.

Colorado VI

Most of you know that I do not use anyone's name in my writing, but I make an exception today as I post these additional thoughts about these sites. I have received permission from all involved to use their names and, in this case, a photograph.

I received a nice email today from Tom Schomberg, the sculptor of the Denver memorial I wrote about a couple of posts back (see 7/29/11). He wanted me to be sure to give proper credit to Tom and Judy Kane, the folks who commissioned the memorials. He explained that Tom Kane had been a Marine pilot in 'Nam and that without his deep commitment and understanding of the needs of vets, the memorial might never have been placed. If he had never placed the one in Denver it is easy to see that the ones in Riverside National Cemetery in California and Adare Manor in Ireland would also have never been possible.

I have just recently exchanged a number of emails with Tom (Kane) and he sent me a lot of information about the dedication of the memorial in Ireland. As I mentioned in the previous post, the Schomberg memorial was to be placed in honor of the visit of the Traveling Wall to Ireland. A number of Irish citizens were lost fighting for the US in 'Nam. The families of the 16 known Irish casualties were invited to Adare Manor and 65 members from 12 of the families were able to attend. In addition, a number of Americans, including the Schombergs and Jan Scruggs (VVMF) were able to attend, too. Bertie Ahearn, the Taoiseach* (Irish Prime Minister) attended, gave the opening remarks and spent two full days with the families and visitors. So, it is with the utmost gratitude and respect that I salute Tom and Judy Kane for their commitment, generosity and, through these memorials, service to all vets.

The picture posted here is the first one I have ever posted that I did not take myself. It was taken by Tom Kane and is used with his permission. I will get to Ireland and photograph the memorial myself sometime in the not too distant future (I hope), but until that time I wanted you to see this magnificent site. I was actually at Adare in the mid 90's, before either memorial was placed. I was struck, at the time, by its elegant beauty and now the addition of this haunting tribute only adds to my love of this ancient (and now sacred) place.

Although he is adamant that the memorial be the focus of this effort, not Adare Manor, Tom and his wife, Judy, have refurbished the site and made it into a first class resort. It is located on many acres of beautiful Irish countryside and you can find more information here;

http://www.adaremanor.com/

In case I failed to mention it previously, Tom Schomberg is also the sculptor of the War Dog memorial at Fort Benning, Georgia, and Riverside, in addition to the "Rocky" statue at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

You can visit Tom's studio to see these and many other of his great works here;

http://www.schombergstudios.com/

* Taoiseach is Gaelic and is pronounced Teesha, at least that is as close as I can come!!