Maine XXII

Recently I had a brief stop over in Portland Maine. I had read that there was a memorial at the City Hall on Congress Street, so I went to check it out.

It turns out that it is a dual memorial to both Korea and Vietnam. It is one of several plaques outside the building so access was easy.

It lists the names of 51 from Portland lost in the wars. There is no designation as to which wars these heroes were lost fighting. Simply names, but, perhaps that is enough.

A little research at VVMF's Wall of Faces told me that 25 of the names here were lost in 'Nam.

Next time, on the 27th, we will revisit Maryland, so meet me there, as always, at 9:00 am.

To see additional memorials from Maine, or any other state, please click 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.

Oregon

803 names are forever listed here in Washington Park. Located at Portland's Hoyt Arboretum, this beautiful and dignified site grew out of a desire to remember, after a visit by some vets to The Wall in D.C. It took a number of years, but the site was finally dedicated in 1987.

The area is a little bigger than three acres and consists of a segmented wall on which all the names of the lost and the missing are honored. A circular path leads one past each section. An interesting feature is that on the sections of wall, along with the names, is a time line of what was going on in 'Nam and what was going on at home. It is a very interesting and, at times, enlightening read. You forget, sometimes, all that happened in those tumultuous years.

There is a group of Pear Trees symbolizing life at the entrance and water features signify hope, purity and , once again, life. The site is meticulously tended by those who built it and volunteers. Some of the volunteers have come every year since the beginning. One, in particular, spends up to 12 hours a week just weeding, pruning, etc.