Day 168 of 365…

Starting Wednesday August 4th, 2010 Clark County, WA (and beyond) residents will have an opportunity to visit the American Veterans Traveling Tribute which will be in La Center, WA for 5 days. Between Wednesday and Sunday the traveling Vietnam Veterans Memorial will be open 24 hours per day allowing everyone ample opportunity to visit it in their own personal way.

The official journey to La Center will begin at 2pm on Wednesday with several hundred motorcyclists escorting the “wall” to Holley Park. Once it arrives it will take about 4 hours to get it all set up. The whole experience will be open from 6pm Wednesday until 5pm on Sunday.

This certainly will be a most emotional exhibit and time (I know I’ve teared up while reading about and researching this). I’ve lost dear friends who served and sacrificed the ultimate price and have many loved ones who have served (and sacrificed in other ways) our country through every major conflict back to World War II.

The following is a brief description of what to expect as identified on their website:
Our traveling tribute is a true depiction of the great sacrifices made throughout the history of our country. It consists of:

* Displays representing statistics from every war/conflict that the USA has been involved in.
* A series of World War II panels portraying the entire timeline of events.
* A Korean War tribute representing the timeline of the entire conflict with corresponding battle maps and photos.
* The Traveling Vietnam Wall – 80% replica (largest replica) of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington DC. The “wall” stretches over 380 ft long from end to end and contains all 58,253 names. The “wall” is current through 2009 and is constantly being updated to accurately pay tribute to those who died during the Vietnam war.0
* A timeline, series of facts and figures, and a display of art from Vietnam veteran artists depicting patriotic and veteran themes.
* A display of USA founding and significant historical documents including the Constitution, Declaration of Independence and other historical documents. (and even more…)

My Vietnam Veteran… My Dad!

I love you and thank you for all you gave for me to have the freedoms I do…

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial will be set up at Holley Park located at 1000 E. Fourth Street, La Center, WA. You can also connect with La Center Honors Vets on Facebook.

To each of the men in this show, I love you very much!

(You might also like to check out my “Pre-Veteran’s Day” post as well.)

They Did Their Share

On Veteran’s Day we honor
Soldiers who protect our nation.
For their service as our warriors,
They deserve our admiration.

Some of them were drafted;
Some were volunteers;
For some it was just yesterday;
For some it’s been many years;

In the jungle or the desert,
On land or on the sea,
They did whatever was assigned
To produce a victory.

Some came back; some didn’t.
They defended us everywhere.
Some saw combat; some rode a desk;
All of them did their share.

No matter what the duty,
For low pay and little glory,
These soldiers gave up normal lives,
For duties mundane and gory.

Let every veteran be honored;
Don’t let politics get in the way.
Without them, freedom would have died;
What they did, we can’t repay.

We owe so much to them,
Who kept us safe from terror,
So when we see a uniform,
Let’s say “thank you” to every wearer.

By Joanna Fuchs

Today I’ll break from my normal “Getaway Sunday” schedule to do a little pre-Veteran’s Day tribute.

Yes, Veteran’s Day will be celebrated this Wednesday, November 11th by the entire country but maybe you could take 6 minutes out of your day today to remember all those who served and sacrificed on this particular day in 1965 in the jungles of Vietnam? Please watch this video and reflect on the words of the song.

Veteran’s Day

A celebration to honor America’s veterans for their patriotism, love of country, and willingness to serve and sacrifice for the common good.

To the 48 who sacrificed their lives on November 8th, 1965 I thank you with all of my being. To those who lived through this horrific battle and have sacrificed every day since, I thank you more than you can possibly know…