A memorial park is a place where people come to remember events or individuals who have died. These places often have natural beauty and offer peace for quiet meditation.
The Gold Star Monument is the newest addition to Memorial Park, erected in partnership with Delaware Gold Star families. Each of the V-shaped arms contains a list of names, arranged by panel number and order of death.
History
The story of Memorial Park is a remarkable one that includes community involvement from its early days to the present. It was created by people who believed that as many Clarke County children as possible should have an opportunity for healthy physical development and a respect for nature.
The park’s history is told through the various monuments and structures that have been constructed within it. The Gold Star Monument is the newest addition to the park, erected in partnership with Delaware Gold Star families and built within style guidelines established by the Woody Williams Foundation.
The doughboy statue is the most famous of all the memorials in the park, a reminder that this area was once a military base and home to soldiers who fought in World War I. Other historical memorials include the 71 trees planted in Memorial Park Grove to remember the men from Allen County who died in active service during World War I.
Vietnam War
As the war dragged on, families in South Vietnam lived in fear. Markets moved beneath trees to avoid being spotted by American indiscriminate bombers, and streets were littered with land mines. This photo of a Vietnamese family in Vung Tau shows the grim reality of daily life.
After the Gulf of Tonkin incident, Congress gave President Johnson authority to increase the number of U.S. troops in Vietnam without a formal declaration of war. Johnson increased troop deployments, bombing the North, and began sending regular army units to fight.
The Tet Offensive shattered American confidence in victory and demonstrated that the enemy was not as weak as the Johnson Administration had led Americans to believe. The Pentagon Papers revealed a series of missteps by four administrations.
Gold Star Monument
The Gold Star Families Memorial Monument is a stunning black granite monument built to remember families who sacrificed a Loved One for our country’s freedom. Its sides tell a story through four granite panels: Homeland, Family, Patriot and Sacrifice. At the center is a silhouette of a service member who paid the ultimate sacrifice for our country.
Medal of Honor recipient Hershel “Woody” Williams established the Woody Williams Foundation to build this national monument. Since then, the foundation has helped establish more than 140 of these monuments.
The Clinton Township monument joins the Gold Star Families Memorial Monuments in Bay City, Michigan; and in Draper City Park, Utah. It is also located along the Gold Star Memorial Trail, a non-motorized trail project that will eventually traverse Dodge County.
Walls of Remembrance
A permanent addition to the Korean War Memorial, the Walls of Remembrance lists the names of Americans and Korean augmentees to the United States Army who gave their lives defending South Korea. The names begin and end at the center of the wall to form a circle, symbolizing that their sacrifice will never be forgotten.
The Brooklyn Wall of Remembrance at MCU Park (formerly KeySpan Park) on Coney Island features three 30 x 12 granite panels, with the laser-engraved portraits of 346 firefighters and paramedics, 37 Port Authority Police Officers including an explosives detection canine named Sirius, 23 NYS Fire Patrol members, and three NYC Police officers including a K-9 patrol dog. Their images are a powerful, unforgettable testament and a reminder that the names and faces behind 9/11 were real people.
Bald Eagle Statue
A bronze bald eagle clutching an actual piece of the World Trade Center in its talons honors those who served in the Gulf War. The sculpture was made by Rochester sculptor Jay Seaman.
It was installed in the park in 2011. Two eagles flank the Memorial of Life. They are contemporary representations of the statues that originally stood here as part of Olmsted’s 1922 design for Memorial Park.
Sculptor Mike Curtis, who is known for his artistic and accurate depictions of the Bald Eagle, has studied eagles in the wild and watched them dive for fish in local lakes and perch in the trees near his studio. His eagle sculptures are considered among the best of their kind. He has been sculpting since 1971.