Shelby County Vets to D.C.: July 2011

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

May 2011 Trip...

Here is a picture of the Vets we took on the May 23-25, 2011 trip, the group's 5th trip for WWII and Korean War Veterans to Washington, DC. These trips are for these Veterans who have not been there before to see their memorials.

This was an excellent trip and the Vets and Caregivers were absolutely great. We heard some good stories, shared good conversation, and got to know some truly great Americans.

You know you're getting older when you notice that more and more history questions happened in your lifetime!

Hooah

Vietnam Memorial

The Memorial Wall, designed by Maya Lyn, is made up of two gabbro walls 246 feet 9 inches (75 m) long. The walls are sunk into the ground, with the earth behind them. At the highest tip (the apex where they meet), they are 10.1 feet (3 m) high, and they taper to a height of eight inches (20 cm) at their extremities. Stone for the wall came from Bangalore, Karnataka, India, and was deliberately chosen because of its reflective quality. Stone cutting and fabrication was done in Barre Vermont. Stones were then shipped to Memphis, Tennessee where the names were etched. The etching was completed using a photo emulsion and sandblasting process. The negatives used in the process are in storage at the Smithsonian Institution. When a visitor looks upon the wall, his or her reflection can be seen simultaneously with the engraved names, which is meant to symbolically bring the past and present together. One wall points toward the Washington Monument, the other in the direction of the Lincoln Memorial, meeting at an angle of 125° 12′. Each wall has 72 panels, 70 listing names (numbered 1E through 70E and 70W through 1W) and 2 very small blank panels at the extremities. There is a pathway along the base of the Wall, where visitors may walk, read the names, make a pencil rubbing of a particular name, or pray.

WWII Memorial...

The memorial honors the 16 million who served in the armed forces of the U.S. during World War II, the more than 400,000 who died, and the millions who supported the war effort from home. Symbolic of the defining event of the 20th Century, the memorial is a monument to the spirit, sacrifice, and commitment of the American people to the common defense of the nation and to the broader causes of peace and freedom from tyranny throughout the world. It will inspire future generations of Americans, deepening their appreciation of what the World War II generation accomplished in securing freedom and democracy. Above all, the memorial stands as an important symbol of American national unity, a timeless reminder of the moral strength and awesome power that can flow when a free people are at once united and bonded together in a common and just cause.

Korean War Memorial ...

From 1950 to 1953, the United States joined with the United Nations forces in Korea to take a stand against what was deemed a threat to democratic nations worldwide. At war's end, a million and a half American veterans returned to a peacetime world of families, homes, and jobs - and to a country long reluctant to view the Korean War as something to memorialize. But to the men and women who served, the Korean War could never be a forgotten war.

The passing of more than four decades has brought a new perspective to the war and its aftermath. The time has come, in the eyes of the Nation, to set aside a place of remembrance for the people who served in this hard-fought war half a world away. The Korean War Veterans Memorial honors those Americans who answered the call, those who worked and fought under the most trying circumstances, and those who gave their lives for the cause of freedom.

How to see and download a picture.

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Shelby County Vets to D.C.

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

May 2011 Trip...

Pictures from Trip #10

Applications for the 2016 Vets to DC Trip - TBA

See pictures of our trips below:

Contact us ...

Our Mission...

Schedule of Events...

Committee Meeting Dates:

Vietnam Memorial

WWII Memorial...

Korean War Memorial ...

Thoughts from a fundraising weekend...

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