Remember those we have lost

Subject: Vietnam Memorial Wall


I think the Vietnam Memorial Wall is something this country got right. Interesting how beloved The Wall has become when one recalls all the controversy at the time. I have seen this before and perhaps even posted it to this site, but it never hurts to be reminded of what we have lost. Thanks Ruthie for sending this and reminding me.


Read on......interesting stuff !A little history most people will never
know.

Interesting Veterans Statistics off the Vietnam Memorial Wall There are
58,267 names now listed on that polished black wall, including those added
in 2010.

The names are arranged in the order in which they were taken from us by
date and within each date the names are alphabetized.
It is hard to believe it is 36 years since the last casualties.
The first known casualty was Richard B. Fitzgibbon, of North Weymouth ,
Mass. Listed by the U.S. Department of Defense as having been killed on
June 8, 1956. His name is listed on the Wall with that of his son, Marine
Corps Lance Cpl. Richard B. Fitzgibbon III, who was killed on Sept. 7,
1965.

There are three sets of fathers and sons on the Wall.

39,996 on the Wall were just 22 or younger.
8,283 were just 19 years old.
The largest age group, 33,103 were 18 years old.
12 soldiers on the Wall were 17 years old.
5 soldiers on the Wall were 16 years old.
One soldier, PFC Dan Bullock was 15 years old.

997 soldiers were killed on their first day in Vietnam

31 sets of brothers are on the Wall. Thirty one sets of parents lost two
of their sons.

54 soldiers attended Thomas Edison High School in Philadelphia . I wonder
why so many from one school.

8 Women are on the Wall. Nursing the wounded.

244 soldiers were awarded the Medal of Honor during the Vietnam War; 153
of them are on the Wall.
Beallsville , Ohio with a population of 475 lost 6 of her sons.

West Virginia had the highest casualty rate per capita in the nation.
There are 711 West Virginians on the Wall.

The Marines of Morenci - They led some of the scrappiest high school
football and basketball teams that the little Arizona copper town of
Morenci (pop. 5,058) had ever known and cheered. They enjoyed roaring beer
busts. In quieter moments, they rode horses along the Coronado Trail,
stalked deer in the Apache National Forest and in the patriotic
camaraderie typical of Morenci's mining families, the nine graduates of
Morenci High enlisted as a group in the Marine Corps. Their service began
on Independence Day, 1966. Only 3 returned home.

The Buddies of Midvale - LeRoy Tafoya, Jimmy Martinez, Tom Gonzales were
all boyhood friends and lived on three consecutive streets in Midvale,
Utah on Fifth, Sixth and Seventh avenues.
They lived only a few yards apart. They played ball at the adjacent
sandlot ball field. And they all went to Vietnam . In a span of 16 dark
days in late 1967, all three would be killed. LeRoy was killed on
Wednesday, Nov. 22, the fourth anniversary of John F. Kennedy's
assassination. Jimmy died less than 24 hours later on Thanksgiving Day.
Tom was shot dead assaulting the enemy on Dec. 7, Pearl Harbor Remembrance
Day.


The most casualty deaths for a single day was on January 31, 1968 ~ 245
deaths.

The most casualty deaths for a single month was May 1968 - 2,415
casualties were incurred.

For most Americans who read this they will only see the numbers that the
Vietnam War created. To those of us who survived the war, and to the
families of those who did not, we see the faces, we feel the pain that
these numbers created. We are, until we too pass away, haunted with these
numbers, because they were our friends, fathers, husbands, wives, sons and
daughters.

There are no noble wars, just noble warriors.

I will get back to sites in Oregon on the 11th, as usual, at 9:00am.

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.

Georgia IV

In Rock Creek Park in Gainesville, Georgia, there is this very nice memorial to the 26 men from Hall County who were lost in the war. The memorial is also dedicated to all who may have served, as well. Similar to The Wall in design the names are listed by name but, here, their rank, date of loss and home towns are listed, too.


Also in the park, which is located in Gainesville at the corner of Northside Drive and Academy Street, is a memorial to all 20th Century Veterans. The last two photos, here, are of this memorial.

Georgia III

Alpharetta, Ga. nearly became one of those places that proved impossible to complete my task. I had info about the location of a site and my GPS took me to that spot over and over again. There was nothing there except what might have been an old, very small park. I wondered and wondered around, asking anyone I could where the memorial might be? No one knew. This , as I have said before, is not uncommon. I went into stores, banks and finally a city admin building. No one had any idea what I was talking about.

Finally, I was directed to another desk and someone wondered if it could have been removed from the original spot (the small park) to the new Alpharetta Memorial Park?

Bingo! Once I rode out of town to the new site I found it along with a few others.

You will note that it appears to have been added to a WWII site. Four of Alpharetta's sons are listed here with space remaining for others if discovered. There is no literature or detail available. So, I do not know if there are still MIA's or if the extra spaces will be used for some other purpose.

I was glad to finally find it and I want to thank all the nice folks who tried to help. All seemed interested, but few had any real information to share. I guess that is one of the reasons I continue to seek out and record these sites.

My brothers, we are slipping from the memory of many. I guess it is always so!

The park is located at the intersection of Westside Parkway and Old Milton Parkway.

Georgia II

I found this incredibly beautiful and poignant memorial in Roswell, Georgia. I visited, first, at night ,in the rain. I did not realize how emotional the faces would look, in fact I doubted that I could capture any good images at all. I returned in the sun light and got a few more but it turns out that I think the first are the best. The faces in the wall represent many many people who were affected by this conflict. I, also, did not realize there was water running over the wall to create the same effect I thought the rain created!

The following is taken directly from the website for the memorial.

"The Roswell Vietnam War Monument is fourteen feet in height and twenty feet across, highlighted by Georgia marble cap stones and old colonial bricks. The plaza and walkways contain hundreds of memorial bricks purchased by supporters of the project.

Fifty faces, cast in bronze, depict an array of emotions, including fear, grief, and courage. They represent American serviceman and women, medical personnel, and Vietnamese civilians. One figure in the sculpture is that of a soldier reaching out to clasp the hand of a little girl. A sheer waterfall cascades over the backdrop faces. Viewers will be able to see a reflection of their own faces and at that instant become a part of the memorial.

As you visit the Memorial, remember those who served to protect the sovereignty of our country, not only in the Vietnam War but in all wars, and their families."

Inscription

"The Faces of War-heroic and tragic
Faces of the past held present in our memories
Faces of soldiers and civilians - men, women, children all ages, all colors

And our own Faces - observes who can never know the entire story
The whole concealed and reflected by a thin veil of water - water representing tears separation of past and present a cleaning

And emerging from the Faces, one soldier stepping toward the future into a garden - Stepping toward the next generation- a child - His legacy and ours"

Georgia

I reserved some southern states until winter. I figured better to go there in January than go to Minnesota! I suppose this was the wisest choice, but I was still blindsided by how incredible cold it can get in"the sunny south!" I left Kentucky unable to photograph the memorial there due to snow cover. Nashville was bitter and raining and Atlanta was so cold I wondered if I would be able to steady the camera to take the shots!

After figuring out some directions that were not as precise as I would have liked, I found the memorial. It sits in front of the Floyd Veterans Memorial building located at 2 Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive at Piedmont Ave. The building sits across the street from the State Capitol bldg.

After photographing the memorial which is dedicated to 1584 lost, 8,534 wounded, 21 Ex-POW's and 41 MIA's (these are all honored on a Wall directly adjacent to the statue) from the state, I decided to walk into the building itself. I was so cold I needed a little warmth before moving on. I got talking with one of the guards and she sent me upstairs to the Georgia Department of Veteran's Services Offices in the building. I spent quite some time talking to people about the memorial and discovered that the plaza housing the memorials is named after Pete Wheeler. Mr. Wheeler is the current head of the department and has worked for them since 1949! Talk about service to your country and vets!

Texas VII

In the same Fort Worth Park as the last memorial, not far along the same path is this small, yet dignified memorial to those from the area who were POW's or MIA's. The site was dedicated in 1972 and some parts show its age. It was rededicated in 2000. The older plaque (last photo) is a little hard to read due to aging and the way the light hit it on the day I was there, It says;

Dedicated to prisoners of war and
those missing in action
in Southeast Asia
and their families.

Fort Worth Cares

November 18th, 1972

The smaller plaque on the brick says rededicated in 2000.

It sits off to the side a little creating a quite place to sit on the bench and reflect in this lovely park.

I have several more sites in Texas that I will return to at a later date. These include small and large memorials in Ranger, San Antonio and the ever enlarging National Vietnam War Museum in Mineral Wells among others.

Next, join me in Atlanta and other Georgia sites on the 12th of March, as always at 9:00am