Pennsylvania XXVI

Driving north from Frederick, Maryland into southern Pennsylvania, you can find Mountain Pass where we just happened upon this Monterey Pass Battlefield Park.

On the wall of the small building there, which was closed on this particular day, we found this touching memorial to a lone Vietnam vet.

We could find no additional information, but perhaps, none is needed.

The plaque says it all.

Often, these small, lesser known memorials are greater in impact than the their more famous cousins as they tell these individual stories of bravery, dedication and heroism.

Having visited most of the larger ones now, I am often humbled by these, the individual stories of our brothers and sisters.

Long may they be remembered.

Next time, on the 29th, we will revisit Rhode Island from which I have just returned, so meet me there, as usual, at 9:00am.

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

September 11, 2011

September 11, 2001 will be burned into our collective memories with other momentous dates, such as November 22, and December 7th, for all time. I wanted to take a moment today and interrupt the Colorado series of Vietnam memorials to remember and honor our fallen brothers and sisters.

As you know, my journey is about Vietnam, but occasionally I run across a 911 memorial. I thought I would share a couple of them today in remembrance, mourning and respect.

The first picture is of one I have shared previously. It is called the Court of Honor and is located in Prospect Hill Cemetery in York, Pennsylvania. Its inscribed names honor many who have served and fallen, but the lintel across the top is an actual piece from the Twin Towers.

http://www.prospecthill.org/CourtOfValor.htm

The second picture is from the park in Soddy Daisy, Tennessee. I wrote about the 'Nam memorial there earlier, but now is the fitting time to share this one. While not huge, it is indeed poignant. It can be found in the 9000 block of Dayton Pike.

The last couple of pictures are from Montgomery County, Maryland. On a corner in the middle of Rockville, the county seat, sits a beautiful and dignified memorial to those county residents who perished in the attack on the Pentagon. I sometimes think that in the magnitude of the events in New York and the heroics in Shanksville, Pa., those who lost their lives in the Pentagon attack are overshadowed. It was with great feeling that I discovered this tribute to our neighbors. Eleven of those lost at the Pentagon lived in my community and each of them is remembered here by a bench with his or her name etched upon it. In addition, a favorite saying, or passage from a book or poem along with a facsimile of their signature makes each of these personalized and intimate. The park is designed so that on September 11, each bench is illuminated by the sun as it passes over the site. On the day I visited, bouquets of roses had been left on each bench by family members or loved ones. It was a deeply moving display of love for our family members, our loved ones, our neighbors who were lost, but will never be forgotten.

William Edward Caswell
Dr. Gerald Paul Fisher
Capt. Lawrence D. Getzfred
Michele M. Heidenberger
Angela Marie Houtz
Teddington Hamm Moy
Lt. Darin H. Pontell
Scott A. Powell
Todd Hayes Reuben
Patricia J. Statz
Ernest M. Willcher

This dignified and beautiful tribute sits at the corner of Rte 28 and Maryland Ave. across from the court house