Virginia XIX

I visited the Flame of Hope Memorial quite some time ago, but its beauty and dignity have stuck with me for years.

It is located near NAS Oceania, Virginia Beach, Virginia.

 

 

It was dedicated in 1972 as a beacon for all POWs and MIAs and in less than a year it will be 50 years old. I've read that it is in need of repair and have contacted some of those involved to see what its status might be. It is said that it will need to be moved during the repairs.

 

There is an covered guide to the site that is badly sun-faded and in need of renewal. It is on the list for repair.

This is nearby.

This guy zipped by as I was taking pics. He was quite a distance away so not so clear!

 

The memorial is located om Oceania Boulevard just north of the main gate to the NAS.

Next time, on the 11th, we will see what I can find, hopefully, I will get to West Virginia by then. If not, well, we'll see.

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

Virginia XII

 This beautiful memorial is another of those that are non-specific, but I did find a Vietnam connection.

The following was taken, verbatim from the Vacations Made Easy website for Virginia Beach, Va.;

"Born of the vision of Bill Hallead, this extraordinary task was undertaken by a group of military veterans and community leaders who conceived the idea of organizing a contest amongst school students to form the idea upon which this memorial would be built. Their themes were given form by a team of leading artists, sculptors and architects who toiled to create this memorial. The memorial is designed to signify the manner in which the world is torn apart by war. The spherical shapes have cut-out centers to denote the emptiness that ware (sic) leaves in its wake. The waterfall represents the turmoil that war causes while its motion stands for the pursuit to bring people together.
The memorial is also adorned with flags belonging to the United States, the Commonwealth of Virginia, and the five military services, and a specially designed Tidewater Veterans Flag. The memorial also displays a Prisoner of War-Missing in Action flag, which will remain hoisted until all the missing prisoners of war are accounted for .
Tidewater welcomes any person who has served in any branch of the United States Armed Services to be commemorated with an inscription on a paving stone which will be placed in the Veterans Memorial Park. A timeless tribute to the heroism of those who have braved the horrors of war so that their countrymen might live in freedom and democracy, the Tidewater Memorial is a must visit for any visitor to Virginia Beach."

And, here is the aforementioned Vietnam connection found on-site with a number of others.

 

This is truly a beautiful memorial and should you find yourself in the Virginia Beach area, it wiould be well worth a bit of your time.

Next time, on the 29th, I will share with you a site from my very recent trip back to Washington state, so, as always, join me then on the 29th at 9:00am.

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

Veteran's Day

This site, as you know, is dedicated to honoring Vietnam veteran's by visiting, photographing, and writing about memorials to the those who served. Today, however, it seems more than fitting to remember that we are not alone in our service. Our ancestors have earned the respect of us all through all the years of our history. And, now, our children fight in distant lands. They, too, shall be remembered.

Veteran's Day began as Armistice Day. At the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, 1918 hostilities ceased (an armistice) in The Great War. The peace treaty was actually signed quite sometime later. In 1938 Armistice Day was made a federal holiday and later, after WWII and Korea the name was changed to Veteran's Day to honor all vets of all wars. There are more than 23 million American vets today.

You can find much more information about Veteran's Day here;

http://www.history.com/Topics/history-of-Veterans-day

I was in Richmond, Virginia and stopped to see the Virginia War Memorial. It is a magnificent site that honors all Veterans. I thought it would be good to include this wonderful site here, too. Expansion of the original 1956 site was just completed this last July. I had stopped by then but could not get any pictures or info as there was too much construction equipment, etc in the area. Today, it is nearly complete and one of the staff kindly showed me all around. The Vietnam portion of the lists of names is etched upon the glass wall of the Shrine of Memory, as it is called. The names from other wars are etched upon the facing stone wall. The statue is called "Memory" and she stands with The Torch of Liberty, an eternal flame, at her feet. She watches over the 11,634 names etched here for all time. The Torch represents "patriotism that is everlasting." The site, also, boasts a Flag Court and Rose Gardens. The Shrine is open 365 days a year with the auditoriums, visitor center and gift shops open 'til 4 pm. It is located on route 1 (621 Belvidere Street) just north of the Robert E. Lee Bridge.

You can find more information here;

www.vawarmemorial.org

I, also, visited Virginia Beach this week and came upon this beautiful memorial to all veterans. It is based upon the ideas of three local high school students who participated in a design contest. It depicts how the world is split by war, and how some pieces of our world, our selves (our humanity?) are lost forever. There are a number of flags, including U.S., Va., all Military Services flags, a special Tidewater Veteran's Flag. A POW/MIA Flag will fly until all are accounted for.

This memorial sits at 1000, 19th street, in Virginia Beach, Va.

There is much more information regarding the memorial at this site;

http://virginia-beaches.net/Attractions/veteran.htm


If you see a vet today, say "Thanks"