May 28, 2007
Monuments To Heroes: A Pictorial Memorial Day Celebration
On this Memorial Day, a day when we honor our Fallen Heroes, I thought a brief representation of some of the Memorials from around the world would be a good place to start. If you live near one of these, please visit, take a moment of reflection on how our freedoms are directly tied to these heroes.
The USS Arizona Memorial
Arlington National Cemetery
The Bunker Hill Memorial
The Gettysburg National Cemetary
The Marine Corps Monument (AKA the Iwo Jima Memorial)
The Vietnam Veterans Memorial
The USS Constitution ~ The Oldest Commissioned Ship In the US Navy (AKA "Old Ironsides")
The Alamo
The WWII Veterans Memorial (The Pillars at Night)
The Bataan Memorial
The Mount Soledad Memorial
The War Dog Memorial, Long Island (The sculptor is my kid brother Doug Roper)
Belleau Wood Memorial ~ Iron Mike
Memorial to The Bulge, Bastogne Belgium
Omaha Beach Memorial at Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer
Between the crosses, row on row
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
There are hundreds of other monuments. If you have a favorite, send me a photograph and I will add it to the post. Send the photograph as an attachment to gmroper@yahoo.com along with a description of the Monument/Memorial.
Posted by GM Roper at May 28, 2007 11:55 PM | TrackBackFantastic tour. Thanks, GM, enjoyed it, and it reminds me that there are still plenty of us out here that appreciates being Americans, and truly thank our men and women of the military that have kept us free, past, present, and future.
Posted by Douglas V. Gibbs at May 27, 2007 05:16 PM
Awesome. Thank you GM for this post.
Posted by Raven at May 27, 2007 05:55 PM
GM,
So many memorials, but not nearly enough to begin to bring proper tribute to those who served (and are still serving).
The one which most touches my heart is Arlington. I have two uncles buried there--one who served in WWI and one who served on Normandy Beach in WWII. The first uncle was wounded and gassed, and his injuries caused his death many years later. Yet, I've never known a more ardent patriot. The second uncle could never bring himself to talk about what he experienced on D-Day; he died at age 39 of a massive coronary, partly caused by the sleepless nights of some 20 years following his service.
Great post, GM!
Posted by Always On Watch at May 27, 2007 06:27 PM
great pics GM.
Posted by Robert at May 27, 2007 09:38 PM
Wonderful photos, GM.
Posted by rosedog at May 28, 2007 11:13 AM
Great shots make a special share - Thanks! Encompassing selections give us all a thorough view of the meaning of Memorial Day in different places and times - yet the same meaning is with us. Your brother did a great job with this dog sculpture! Canine contribution to our freedom should be remembered.
Posted by chrys at May 28, 2007 12:08 PM
thanks GM as always and for makin a pitstop over at my haunt..what a sweet holiday surprise! :)
Posted by Angel at May 28, 2007 12:56 PM
I memorized the Flanders Field poem when I was young. To this day, it still brings a lump to my throat and it will always. The sacrifices made by our men and women in uniform make their causes even greater.
Posted by Woody at May 28, 2007 02:18 PM
What a beautiful tour and how incredible that your brother was the creator of one of them! Thank you for this. You probably know about this ACLU business going on, but if not this is in my Absurd Glimpses of Memorial Day 2007 post:
"The ACLU has already filed suit to remove crosses at veterans' memorials, like the Mt. Soledad cross in San Diego and the Sunrise Rock cross in the Mojave Desert, which is now covered by a box."
A blessed Memorial Day to you,
Maggie
Maggie's Notebook
Posted by Maggie M. Thornton at May 28, 2007 06:57 PM
Wonderful. Thank you for posting these remembrances of those who have gone before us and paid the price to ensure our liberty and freedom.
I enjoyed the moments I've spent here at your site.
Andrea
The Radio Patriot
Posted by Andrea Shea King at May 31, 2007 11:28 AM
