My Dad was a veteran of WWII and Korea and my husband is a veteran. On Memorial Day I find myself wanting to go somewhere to pay tribute our service men and women. My Mother, my son and I usually go to The Brazos Valley Veteran’s Memorial in College Station. It is one of the finest veteran’s memorials outside of Washington, DC. The bronze sculpture mounted atop the massive 250 ton Texas granite base is the work of artist Robert Eccleston who served as an Army Ranger before his career as an artist. The Red granite Wall of Honor lists more than 4,800 names of veterans from all periods of United States history, including 7 Texas A&M University former students who received the Medal of Honor.
It’s a great place to teach your children U.S. history. There are many memorials along a half-mile trail known as the Lynn Stuart Pathway, dedicated in honor of Brigadier General Louis Lynn Stuart. The bronze statues along the pathway portray the look of soldiers in most major conflicts. “Letters from Home,” is a statue of an Army infantryman that represents the World War II European Theater, but set in the deep foliage of S. Texas, I can envision my Dad reading his mail in the S. Pacific. Another marking the 50th anniversary of the Korean War is a dual bronze statue entitled Katchi Kapshida (We Go Together) which features the likeness of a Korean soldier and an American soldier standing to together to face the enemy. My Dad would have loved that.
The American Revolution Memorial features a dramatic bronze Continental soldier named Liberty or Death, Come and Take It was dedicated to the heroes of the War for Texas Independence, Don’t Give Up the Ship was dedicated honoring those who fought in the War of 1812, and Hot LZ is a life size bronze fuselage of a Huey helicopter hovering over the ground as it drops off soldiers during the Vietnam War.
The board of the Memorial for All Veterans continuously accepts applications for placement of military veterans’ names on the Wall of Honor. Funds are still being raised for the rest of the memorials that are planned.
For more information about the Brazos Valley Veterans Memorial, visit http://www.bvvm.org/.
This Memorial Day, don’t just have a cookout – show your appreciation to a veteran in some specific and practical way.
Dr. Fife is a world renowned wound care physician dedicated to improving patient outcomes through quality driven care. Please visit my blog at CarolineFifeMD.com and my Youtube channel at https://www.youtube.com/c/carolinefifemd/videos
The opinions, comments, and content expressed or implied in my statements are solely my own and do not necessarily reflect the position or views of Intellicure or any of the boards on which I serve.
