Bush’s Legacy to America
Coast to Coast, Memorials to the Dead
by
James Glaser
by James Glaser
Usually
it takes America decades to get a memorial up for those who have
fallen in battle, but George Bush’s War on Terrorism has produced
many already.
From
Camp Pendleton, in California where the 1st Marine Regiment
built their Memorial on top of a peak in the San Onofre Mountains
with the money collected by a Brooklyn, N.Y. high school, to a "Warriors
Walk," at Fort Stewart, Georgia, honoring the 94 Soldiers killed
in Iraq from "the Third ID," America is being criss-crossed
with monuments to the dead from Iraq and Afghanistan.
There
is the 4th Infantry Division’s Monument in Fort Hood,
Texas, dedicated on Sept. 9, 2004. It is called the Task Force Iron
Horse Memorial, and displays the names of the unit’s 81 Soldiers,
killed in Iraq.
In
Fort Riley, Kansas, there is the "Global War on Terrorism Memorial,"
dedicated October 2, 2004. It is in honor of the Fort’s 54 Soldiers
killed in Iraq.
At
Fort Campbell, Kentucky, the 101st Airborne put up an
"Iraqi Freedom Monument," dedicated May 31, 2004, and
it honors the 58 "Screaming Eagles" lost in Iraq to date.
The
3rd Infantry Division (Mechanized), also at Fort Stewart,
Georgia, dedicated its memorial on September 25, 2003 and is in
the City of Hinesville, Georgia.
On
December 2, 2003, the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, Marine
Corps Air Station, Miramar, California dedicated a plaque to the
15 Marine aviators killed in Iraq.
The
3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment Memorial, at Fort Carson,
Colorado was dedicated on May 27, 2004, and lists the names of the
56 troopers who have been killed so far. The 3rd ACR is back in
Iraq now.
Also
near Fort Carson, is, "The Mountain Post Global War on Terrorism
Fallen Soldiers Memorial," dedicated on June 10th,
2004 and is in Carson Park. It honors 88 Soldiers, (including the
3rd ACR) who were killed in Iraq.
Over
seas, there are still more American monuments to our dead. At Kandahar
Airfield, Afghanistan there is a monument to all military personnel
killed or wounded in Afghanistan. As of June 28, 2005, there have
been 206 Americans killed there.
Nancy
Montgomery reports in Stars and Stripes, "Eight tons of German
granite carved with scenes of grief and glory now rest on the grass
outside V Corps to honor troops killed in the first 18 months of
the Iraq war." (945 killed)
All
across America there are plaques and memorials going up to remember
those American men and women killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. Some
are formal and built of stone or bronze and others are simple reminders
like the one in my home town. In the local café, there is
a framed photo of Sergeant Dale Panchot. Dale was killed by a rocket-propelled
grenade in Iraq and until our community finds the right place for
a lasting tribute, Dale will be remembered with a photo.
 There
are a lot of families in America waiting for the tribute their loved
one deserves and soon there will be more memorials with more names
in every state. Most monuments are open ended, so that more names
can be added as need be. If this war goes on much longer, many monuments
and plaques will have to be rededicated, with new names added.
August
9, 2005
Jim
Glaser [send him mail],
a Marine Corps Vietnam War veteran and Commander of American Legion
Post 499, works to educate the American public on the consequences
of war. His personal website is James-Glaser.com.
Copyright
© 2005 LewRockwell.com
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