California XLVI

Before beginning today, I want to salute and honor those who fought and died on this date eighty years ago. helping to bring an end to the war and Fascism in Europe they became, rightly, called The Greatest Generation. We owe them our everlasting respect and gratitude. 

Take a moment today to recall their sacrifices.

It seems fitting that California has the greatest number of posts on this site as the state has the highest number of her citizens lost in the war. No one really knows which state has the actual greatest number of memorials or for that matter how many memorials there are in the Country.

Vietnam Veterans of America tried to keep track of all this but eventually had to give up the effort.

One of the first I saw in the state, back in 2011, was in Westminster in Sid Goldstein Freedom Park. At the time it consisted of  the plaza, statue and flame you see below and was quite impressive.

Today, I want to feature, as I so often do, the faces of the soldiers from the statues here. For those unfamiliar, I call this effort, this sub-grouping of photos, The Faces of Remembrance Series inspired by the effort to gather a actual photograph of every name on The Wall. This effort was begun in 2001 and completed in 2022 with the goal of featuring them all at the (now defunct) Education Center to be built near The Wall. All photos can be found at the VVMF's Wall of Faces on-line.

My efforts are a mixture of photos, sculpture, and other likenesses that I find on my journeys.

On a trip last year I was amazed at how much has been added to the site and I will feature these additions as time goes on.

Next time, on the 11th, we will venture back to Colorado, so meet me there, as always, at 9:00 am.

To see additional memorials from California, 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.

If you are following along at all, you will have seen that a number of you, like Joan from Wisconsin, Tony from Texas, Tim from Virginia, 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. 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.

Colorado XIX

Before we begin today's post, I would like to take just a moment to remember Pearl Harbor. There are not too many left of those who were, perhaps, the charter members of what was to become "The Greatest Generation." We must never forget their courage and sacrifice and all the did for America and the rest of the world. We owe them our unflagging honor, respect, and gratitude.

So, today we will take a look at a few of the other things at the memorial. As you most likely know visitors often leave mementos of one kind or another at these sites. This one is no different.

At first I thought the ammo box was just that and I didn't pay too much attention to it. As I was about to leave I decided to take s quick look inside.

As you can see, many have left remembrances. Everything from rank insignias to live ammunition, it causes one to wonder what each memento meant to the person who left it here.

There were, also, two notebooks left inside. Each was filled with comments and memories from those who have visited this site. I sat for a few moments and read through some of them. Very personal and often moving. I left a few words of my own. As isolated as this site is, I was a little surprised to find that so many had taken the time to reflect and remember. the notebooks are the only explanation I can think of for all the pencils in the ammo box.

Coins are often left at burial or memorial sites. I suppose this originates with the need to pay the Ferryman to transport the lost one to the other side. I see these coins often.

The other interesting thing here today is this helicopter part and dedication to a  soldier who worked on the birds.

I feel as if I have covered this site pretty well, so I will leave it here. I would like to dispel one more of the myths surrounding the site. You may read, elsewhere, that Col. Beckley used a chopper to fly the materials in to the site. This, like the others, is not true. He was the commander of a Construction Brigade and some of his men helped him truck the stuff to the site. This must have been quite a job because if you read the first post in this series, you may recall that the Ranger from the area told me that there were very few months one could access the site without a snow machine of some type.

Some of you have noticed that I have not identified where the memorial is located or how to find it. This is not an accident. Col. Beckley specifically asked that its location not be revealed. He did not want it to become a tourist attraction, he wanted it left for vets to have a place of peace, reflection, and solitude. Some have chosen to speak of its location but I choose to honor Beckley's final wishes. Those who need to be there will find a way; I did.

This is the last post about Soldierstone. I have more pictures of a few of the remaining pillow stones and perhaps one day I will post a them, but for now, it is time to move on.

Next time, on the 12th, we will visit a new state. So, join me at 9:00am.

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