"THE MARINES HAVE LANDED!"
So declared West Virginia's Governor at yesterday's dedication of the Viet Nam Veteran's Memorial in Charleston. This is one nave of a four nave memorial with Army, Navy and Air Force servicemen representing WWI, WWII and Korea in the other three nave. The Marine Corps got the Nam nave.
This memorial was put together entirely as a result of the initiative of Joe Mullins, a Marine Corps veteran. He was supported by three governors, many business leaders and a broad spectrum of veterans.
Joe, a local artist and teacher at West Virgina State College, created the design, raised the money, lived at the sight for months in a trailer and pushed this ball over the goal line primarily with his own grit.
Roger McDowell, another Marine Corps Viet Nam vet from Hurricane, W.Va. gets credit for the "stylistic" inspiration for the USMC representative. The first idea was to put a guy in a poncho on the theory that that's what they wore most of the time.
Roger said "Bull Snot." We want a lean mean fighting machine ready to rock and roll. So the M-60 Machine Gun, 1911 and K-Bar knife replaced the poncho. This thing oozes testosterone.
The memorial is complete with the fourth statue. It is circular with a cross cut through the middle. The names of all killed in action are carved on the interior walls, the statues are on the exterior. It is a rare, truely fine, piece of work.
You can view it by exiting I-64 at Exit 99 (Greenbrier Street Exit), heading south towards the Kanawha River, and stopping about 300 yards on your left. Worth the stop.
An outstanding event for all concerned.
PS The Governor was totally "on" yesterday but a number of us sued the state (successfully so far - got an injunction) about 8 weeks ago to keep them from cutting down all of the trees that surround the memorial. To make room for a bus turnaround. Go figure.
[This message has been edited by abruzzi (edited November 12, 1999).]