Utah VI

Further south of Salt Lake City and West Vally is the city of Murray. In the park there, a memorial that has changed some over the years honors all who severed in-country.

Originally a fountain stood in this spot and the markers told that it was in honor of the local citizens who served. Over time, for reasons I could not determine, the fountain was converted to a flower bed.

The dedication plaque is a little hard to read, the sun was amazingly bright on this particular day and I could just not quite get the "shot" I wanted. It reads as follows;

The Vietnam War Memorial Fountain

In honor of the young men from Murray City who

served in Vietnam from 1963 to 1973, Their

efforts were designed to preserve, defend and 

protect the integrity and dignity of the 

individual and promote peace and Freedom

    throughout the world.

May this fountain inspire us to maintain

unity in our country in a manner that will

assure sucess in carrying out these policies

of social justice to all mankind

The memorial can be found in the circle at the entrance to Murray City Park at S. State and Constitution Circle.

This completes our journey through Utah. Next time we venture into Nevada. Our first stop will be Carson City, the home of the Nevada State Vietnam Memorial. This one is really unusual because of the story of its construction. Join me on the19th, as always, at 9:00am.

Illinois X

The Vietnam memorial at Wabash Plaza, also Vietnam Veterans Plaza, is actually the new one. Dedicated November 11, 2005 it replaces an earlier one that was lost to reconstruction. Some components of that earlier one were included in the new one, but the time capsules containing the names of all from Chicago seem to have been lost.

The 14 fountains are said to vary in height by how many troops were in-country during a specific year. Each fountain represents a particular year.

I have read a number of different numbers regarding the number lost/MIA from Illinois, but this week I spoke with the guy that has the "official" list for the state memorial at Springfield. He tells me there are 2980, but even he says he wouldn't want to guarantee that number. Note, also that the names changed from the original (Chicago) to this one (Illinois)


 Interestingly, I found this article on line.

"This event was held at various locations in the city over the years until 1982, when Mayor Jane Byrne and Cardinal Bernardin dedicated the first Vietnam War memorial in the country, at the intersection of Wacker and Wabash. The memorial contained a time capsule that listed all of the names of soldiers from Chicago who died in Vietnam. From that day forward, VVAW's ceremony was fittingly conducted at the memorial; that is, until the current mayor, Rich Daley, decided to reconstruct Wacker Drive in 1998 and proceeded to lose the nation's first Vietnam War memorial. Despite all of the city's excuses, let's just recall that Jane Byrne's name was on the memorial, not Daley's. The mayor's solution to this small reminder of his family's short lapse of control over Chicago was to destroy an important and historically significant memorial, and then build his own. In the words of Barry Romo, "Not only was this city the first city to have a city memorial to Vietnam vets, we were also the first city in the world to lose a memorial." VVAW Veteran, Spring issue, 2006, Vol.36, Number1. Authored by Ken Nielsen:

You can read the whole article here if you like; http://www.vvaw.org/veteran/article/?id=599

It is odd to me that anyone would claim the first Chicago memorial as the first in the country. I have photographed and posted memorials from the late '60's on this site.

This will be the last post from Illinois for a while. I still have some from Wheaton, Rankin, Vermillion County and a few others, but, will post then another time.

Join me next time when we will visit Oklahoma. The state memorial is on the Capitol grounds in Oklahoma City, so join me there on the 21st at 9:00am.

Arkansas IV

The White County Vietnam Memorial is located in Searcy about 50 miles northeast of Little Rock. On the corner of N. Spruce and W. Race Streets, in front of the Court House is the three paneled memorial to the 13 lost and 3 MIA's from the county.

This memorial includes something I have never encountered before. The insignia on the top right is that of the Seabees.The Seabees are the Navy's Construction Battalion (CB's) and they have built bases, roads etc all over the world. If you are interested you may find out lots more, here;

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seabee_%28US_Navy%29

I spent some time talking to a guy from the local Rolling Thunder group and he told me that he thinks he remembers hearing that one of the MIA's was eventually accounted for. I spent some time trying to verify this and could not do so. One hopes that is is right and that info simply eludes me.

He told me another interesting story, too. He, like me, is a member of Patriot Guard. Recently, when the funeral of a local soldier took place, more than 2400 members of Patriot Guard showed up to honor him and protect his family from any who might dare interfere.

Kansas IV

Begun as a tribute to a fallen classmate, this site evolved into a memorial for all who had fought in Vietnam from Kansas. Inspired by a trip to The Wall in DC, the local high school class of '63 wanted to remember their classmates and eventually decided to honor all from the state.

This Wall lists 777 lost or MIA while the state memorial in Junction City lists 791. One of the interesting things about this project is the frequent discoveries of conflicting information. As I have written before, the span of the war is viewed differently by different groups and obviously as new information is gathered, sites are updated. Or perhaps not. I have a call into the city of Winfield where this memorial is located to try to determine if this site has or will be updated. If I get any new info I will be sure to post it. Regardless, it is a beautiful site that sits in a park just adjacent to City Hall. The exact address in 401 East Ninth Street, Winfield, Kansas. I think it is very beautiful and if you should find yourself in the area, take a minute to stop by and reflect, once again on all that was given.

UPDATE: Talked to a nice woman from City Hall and she confirmed that 777 is the number of names on this memorial and that there are no plans to update it.

Texas VI

I often speak, here, about unusual or unique memorials I visit. I am often astounded by their beauty, simplicity, dignity or just their raw power.

Today, I may just be telling you about the most unique of them all! This is one of those stories that reinforces, for me, why I need to keep doing this work. Why it is important to keep seeking out the sites, the history, and the untold stories.

It could have been anywhere in 'Nam, or any group of guys, but it was Charlie Company of the 1st Battalion, 503rd Infantry, Airborne Brigade. They had been under constant fire in the central highlands for months and they were exhausted, their morale was at an all time low. A young soldier decided to write and ask his hometown for support of any kind. His letter ended up on the desk of Dewitt McKinley, the Mayor of Fort Worth. Within a month, duffel bags filled with cakes, cookies and letters started to arrive and many more followed. Schools, Fraternal Lodges, the Girl Scouts and churches had all pulled together to support these troops. Among the letters was found a proclamation that Fort Worth had officially "adopted" Charlie Company.

Later, one of these soldiers commented "You have no idea how that compassion turned us around."

Well, some thirty four years later, July 6, 2001, the survivors, 29 of them, gathered at the Fort Worth Botanical Gardens to thank the people of Fort Worth for their support at a time when many were not supportive of the war. This memorial is not a tribute to solders, but a tribute from soldiers to the citizens of their town, a thank you. Sadly, James David "Shorty" Haas (the kid that wrote the original letter) could not attend; he is still listed among the missing.

This is the first and only memorial I have seen that solders built to thank citizens, rather than the other way around.

Next time, I will write about a lovely POW/MIA memorial in the same park. Join me February 26th at, as usual, 9:00am.

North Dakota III

One hundred and forty miles northeast of Bismarck is the little town of New Rockford. It was remarkable to find such a nice site here. The site, while a Vietnam memorial, is dedicated to all vets. This I believe is another reflection of VVA pledge to never abandon any generation of veterans.

The site consists of a stone marker, three flags, a Huey and a M-47 Patton Tank. Oddly on another site the tank is identifies as an M-48. I am sorry to say that I do not know the difference, but apparently, both were used in 'Nam.

In an article I read about the town the writer commented that both the Huey and the Patton were pointed north, as if, expecting an invasion from Canada. The town of Rockford lies less than 200 mikes from Canada's border with the U.S. I really found this amusing, or do you think they know something we don't?

California

I think it is time to move on from New Hampshire. I have some more photos from there and will post them at a later time.

Kate Wolf used to sing about the golden rolling hills of California and I have traveled through many of them. If I were to write only about California until I had posted every where I have gone, I would be on the subject for months! I have been as far north as Grass Valley (I hope to get further up in the state but it has not happened as of yet) and down to the Mexican border. I have gone as far east as Chirico Summit and Nevada City and west to Coronado. So, I will limit how many I post at this time, but will return from time to time to fill in the missed places.

As always, I will begin with the official state memorial. Located on the Capitol grounds, at 15th and Capitol ave. in Sacramento it is one of the most interesting I have visited. It tells a story. A story of a day in a life of a soldier in 'Nam.

The memorial is made up of a number of components and I expect it will take three postings to tell its story.

Today, a few of the basics.

The first picture is of the memorial, note the panels that are inscribed with the 5822 names of those lost or missing. Each of these is listed in a grouping from his/her home town along with their rank and branch of service. A number of benches are placed around the outside for quiet reflection.

The second picture is of a 19 year old soldier reading a letter from home. Those who were there remember that there was no time of day more anticipated than mail call and the joy of hearing from someone back in the world, and the disappointment of not!

Picture three was taken during a night visit to the site. I think it is especially compelling as some unknown visitor has inserted a photograph into the soldiers letter. One must imagine that the person who left it suffered great loss during the war. If not 'Nam, perhaps another!

Picture 4 is part of the dedication marker more of which I will post later.

Picture 5 is a tribute to Brien Collins who lost an arm and a leg during his second tour of 'Nam. He went on to serve in government for three governors and as an Assemblyman. He was a driving force in the building of this memorial and is quoted as saying;

Is the world a better place because you were here?
Did you make a difference?

He seems to me to be a man to remind us of our fortune and abilities and of what can be accomplished if we choose to make it happen.

More, next time, on this magnificent site.