Arizona

I am in Arizona and we have been cursed with a cold front, something that must be endured no matter how disappointing. The temp is only around 82 degrees, brrrr. It was over 90 when we landed Monday night, well after dark.

I drove to Fountain Hills yesterday (10/20/09) to see a memorial I had read about. Later, I wanted to return to Phoenix to re-take some photos there. It was a beautiful day and the drive is about 135 mile to Fountain Hills. Should have been a snap, but with some less than precise directions from Google maps (Hey, Google, there is no exit 16 off Arizona 202 or for that matter no exit 15, or 14) turned it into a much longer than expected 333 mile trek (round trip) and I never did get to Phoenix! That's OK, I am sure I will get back to the area at some time in the not too distant future.

To complete the scene, the monument at Fountain Hills is not a Vietnam memorial. It is a memorial to veterans of all wars since the Spanish American War. It is really a great site and I took a lot of shots, but not really what I was after. Fountain Hills is known for its huge fountain in the middle of its lake. People come from all around to witness the 100 foot plus plume of water that erupts hourly. I happened on to the site right at 2:00, so I got some nice pictures of that, too. Something unique to this site is a plaque bearing the likeness of Bob Hope. He is smiling, wearing a green beret, an Army field jacket, with a golf club over his shoulder. It just says, "Thanks for the memories." which some of you may remember was his tag line. No matter what one might think of his politics, no one can dispute his service to the common soldier. I even got to see his show while I was in 'Nam. What I remember the most is that Raquel Welch was the star traveling with him. She was gorgeous!

Another interesting element is a nearly life-sized statue of an old soldier. He looks to be WW I to me, saluting the three flags on site. (American, POW/MIA and Arizona) As I knelt to photograph him, I thought, in a few years this very old soldier could be one of us, a 'Nam vet.

I met a nice woman who was training her shepherd mix to carry his Halloween jack-o-lantern goodie bucket in preparation for the big day. I wish I had thought to take his pic. He was doing pretty well. He would walk a few yards with it in his teeth, but then drop it. Good thing she started early.

I also met two young Latino men who were there taking photos of the fountain and the memorial. They explained that they had come from El Paso and were in town to see U2, who were playing in Phoenix last night. Talk about "one world" Two Latinos from Texas, in Arizona, to see an Irish band. I love it!!

So, as I've said before, I get to meet a lot of nice folks.

I hope I can figure out a way to authenticate what is a memorial to Vietnam vets and what is not. I am somewhat surprised at how many of these trips have turned out to be not what I thought they were going to be. Yesterday was a very long day and I didn't get any shots of Vietnam memorials. I did enjoy the Fountain Hills site, I'm glad I went, but still...

The first week in November, I will be in Indiana and, hopefully, Kentucky. More then!

Mike

PS. A note for my friends and family who may be new (like me) to the world of blogging. If you "click" on the pictures posted with my ramblings, it will enlarge considerably for easier viewing.

M

Map this memorial.

Upon a little further reflection on Idaho, I thought I would post a picture of the one I saw 20 years ago for comparison. Enjoy!

Idaho

Twenty years ago, in 1989, I visited the Idaho Falls area. They had a small plaza, for lack of a better description, that had a number of memorials etched into its walls. The etchings were painted with scenes from the respective wars. I didn't really like it very much. so, I was delighted to find that a new memorial had been built.

The new one, as described earlier, is an inverted "V" which is meant to speak to the controversy surrounding the war. It is somewhat unusual (there are some others, more on them later) for memorials to address the varying views about the Vietnam conflict, but to me, it does seem to tell a more complete story. In addition, there is a bronze (?) bas relief of a women wrapped in an American flag (some say she is a female soldier, but her hair looks way too long to me), a soldier and a P.O.W. They are all beneath an eagle in flight. On the slanted leg of the "V" the names of those lost are inscribed. There are 243 names listed. A Vietnam memorial bell in Nampa, ID lists 251. These kind of discrepancies are not uncommon and could be due to a number of reasons. On the opposite side from the bas relief is a map of Vietnam. The site like many others offers a walkway and benches for visitors. It overlooks the river that becomes the Idaho Falls and is quite beautiful.

Another common occurrence is that various places list the duration of the war in different ways. The Wall in D.C. counts the years from 1959 to 1975 as the war years. Others I have seen say it began in 1964, 1965, and 1966. There is no one explanation for these differences. Some say the first combat troops went in one year and others say it was another. Or it may be that the sites are counting from when their first soldier was killed. If I ever get additional clarification, I will report it here.

The first American soldiers (called Advisors, at the time) were sent in 1955. By 1960 there were approximately 18, 000 Americans, whatever they were called in country. The rest as they say (in this case factually) is history. So, I guess there are any number of ways to interpret the length of the war. Most, it seems, use 1959 as that is when the first American is reported to have died for this cause.

On to Arizona!

Map this memorial.

Montana

The Montana Memorial is located in Missoula in Rose Park. It is one of several monuments on site, but in my opinion it is clearly the most striking.

It depicts an angel lifting a fallen soldier. They have made eye contact and each seems to understand.

The angel is not your typical cherubic, gowned, archetype, but rather a strong rugged looking, bearded male. In fact he seems like one of us, a vet.

The site is bordered with roses and other plants and two large stone walls, in addition to a couple of benches. While I was here, an older couple approached and spent quite some time at the statue. I chose to not interrupt their time and remained in the background, well out of the way. When they had gone, I approached the statue and found that they had left a dozen, beautiful roses at the base.

The walls on either side of the statue list the Montanans, that gave their lives in service, on eight plaques attached to the stones. I have read several items about this memorial and they all have a different number of names cited. I will go back tomorrow and find out which of these, if any, is accurate.

If you find yourself in the area, the memorial is well marked off I-90. As I said before, Montana is just amazingly beautiful and I will miss it after I return home on Friday.

Map this memorial.

Wyoming

I was surprised to find how much the Cody area has changed since I was here 20 years ago.  Then, the Memorial stood alone on the edge of the city with nothing but open plains and mountains behind it. Now, someone has chosen to build WW II and Korean Memorials on the same spot. Not to mention the huge hotel that now shares the access road. What once seemed like a fitting tribute, on the prairie, feels a bit claustrophobic! The new memorials are beautiful, but with all the millions of acres that seem untouched in this part of the country....!  Oh well.

Map this memorial.

Welcome

As a Vietnam veteran it has long been my desire to visit and honor as many memorial sites as I can. Now, in retirement, I have the time to to make my dream a reality. The process has caused me to realize that we are not alone, as we have often feared. Uncounted numbers of people, friends, families, and complete strangers, have welcomed us home by building or visiting these memorials. I will continue my journey of exploration and, to some degree, reconciliation and present the results here for all to visit, too. So, please come along and "Welcome home" brothers and sisters.