State of Wyoming, Veterans Memorial Park, Cody Wyoming

This is the State of Wyoming's Veterans Memorial Park in Cody, Wyoming.  It memorializes all of those lost in war from Wyoming, from World War One on.  Each war from World War one on, has its own section.

It's a really nice memorial park, so perhaps a person shouldn't offer criticism, but it's odd that the Spanish American War is omitted.  Wyoming did loose men during the Spanish American War, and likely did during the Philippine Insurrection as well.  A person might arguably also include the Indian Wars, although there were never any units raised in any fashion during the Indian Wars which participated in them, which is not surprising given the small population in the state at the time.  So the omission of the Indian Wars is not surprising.

World War One

World War Two.

The World War Two section of the park.

Korean War

The Vietnam War

The Savage Wars of Peace.

Miscellaneous.

 Marine Corps memorial.

 Seaman and Marine memorial.

William Henry Seward Memorial, Anchorage Alaksa

William Henry Seward was the United States Secretary of State from 1861 to 1869, serving throughout the horrifying period of the American Civil War and on into Reconstruction.  We don't think a great deal about US foreign relations in that period, but we really should, given as the American republics internal struggle put us on pretty rocky shores with many foreign nations, many of which could have used that period to our disadvantage.  Indeed, some did, which explains the French presence in France during this period.

Seward is remembered here, of course, as he was instrumental in the US purchase of Alaska in 1867. Seward had expressed an interest in the US acquiring Alaska as early as 1860, a remarkable instance of foresight.

This memorial is in front of the Old Anchorage City Hall.

Homer Seafarer's Memorial, Homer Alaska

Seward Mariners' Memorial, Seward Alaska

For the first time today, we're posting photographs of a mariners' memorial.

We haven't been ignoring them, they're just the first we've run across.  Been solidly landlubbers, we don't find ourselves in ports often. But, as we've learned, these are very common at ports.

And well they should be.  Commercial fishing is the most dangerous job in the United States, and its little appreciated really how often mariners, even today, risk their lives at sea.  Their calling is an ancient one, and the risk still very much there.

Veterans Memorial Park, Rock Springs Wyoming

This is a M60 tank in Rock Springs' Veterans Memorial Park.

There's more to the park than this tank, but unfortunately I did not have the time to stop and really view things.  Hence the side of the road photograph.  It is sort of peculiar, I'll note, to see this correctly painted green tank sitting in such a deserty setting.  M60s were used in the Middle East by Israel, and the sand paint scheme used by the IDF would almost look more appropriate here, even though it would of course not be appropriate for the M60 which, as far as I know, was never painted in a sand paint scheme.

 I was back in this area the other day, so I updated the photos of this memorial, although I framed one of the photos very poorly.   This park, while an all wars memorial park, is focused on the Persian Gulf War, which I had not previously noted.