What are the Best Military Monuments that You've Seen? Share a Picture?

I'll post this one, Colonel. I won't claim it's the best, but it deserves representation.

"Rendered in cast bronze with green patina, the American Merchant Mariners’ Memorial in Battery Park depicts the stranded seafarers of the torpedoed S.S. Muskogee as they balance atop a sinking lifeboat. A desperate seafarer, hands cupped around his mouth, shouts into the void. Another leans over the side of the boat, arm outstretched, not quite grasping the hand of a companion still in the water. Torso submerged, his head alternately sinks below and rises above the water line as the tide ebbs and flows. Loosely based on a photograph taken by the captain of the German U-boat that sank the Muskogee in 1942, the American Merchant Mariners’ Memorial captures the last moments of these men’s lives. They would soon all be lost at sea."

The Vietnam Memorial, this is a picture of my dad's reflection in the memorial. He served for 30 yrs in the Army and did 2 tours in Vietnam

2 separate monuments within a mile of each other commemorating the 1st BN 167th Infantry Regiment, "4th Alabama" of the Alabama Army National Guard, which has a very rich history.

The 167 saw action in the following conflicts:
• Seminole Indian Wars
• Seven Pines
• Second Manasscus
• Antietam
• Gettysburg
• The Wilderness
• The Punitive Expedition (engaged Pancho Villa's bandits on the Mexican border)
• The Civil war
• World War I (fought in 5 major campaigns)
• World War II (fought in the Pacific in the Battle of the Philippines)
• Operation Iraqi Freedom
• Operation Enduring Freedom

Their motto of "Signa Inferemus" means "we shall drive forward", and during every engagement, they held true to that motto.

Having served as a member of the 167 Infantry, I had no ideas these monuments existed to display our pride in the middle of downtown Birmingham, one at the VAMC, the other on an overpass where people drive and walk by every day.

I find it is so significant to me because, while many pass it every day, most fail to recognize it.

To me it symbolizes the recognition of our Veterans and soldiers in today's society.

While they see it on the news or just hear about it, they go by it so fast that they fail to notice that is anything but a "program".

When they meet a soldier and they talk to them, the Veteran becomes more than a program, he is real.

These monuments depict decades of honorable service to our Nation, and yet they go unrecognized by and large, much like some (not all) civilians look at us.

I know this is a little late, but I was organizing my pictures and found these. These are the monuments atop of Mt. Suribachi on Iwo Jima. They commemorate the famous flag raising, and the lost Service Members from both Japan and the United States. I had the honor and privilege to attend a Remembrance Ceremony on Iwo Jima in 2012.

Just outside NSA HQ, as part of the National Cryptologic Museum (Open to the public https://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic-heritage/museum/) is an area called "National Vigilance Park." It contains a USAF C-130A aircraft, an Army RU-8D Seminole, and a Navy EA-3B Ranger. All three represent aircraft that were shot down or lost with all crew members aboard while conducting reconnaissance missions. You can read more about the aircraft and see photos at: https://www.nsa.gov/about/cryptologic-heritage/vigilance-park/

I have 2 favorites. The WW2 Memorial and The Viet Nam Veteran's Memorial AKA The Wall. The 1st because these warriors of the 2nd WW were able to come together as a nation united in a common purpose; defeating fascism and protecting freedom. Without these patriots, we would not exist today. 2nd is the Viet Nam memorial because it's minimalism lends somber gravity to every name that is etched in it's face, a tangible and approachable piece of our American heritage and of our never forgetting our battles that fell. I also like that it was a Vietnamese immigrant with a Nat. Endowment For the arts grant who conceived and designed it. That speaks of America many voices and cultures and that we are still a sanctuary for those that will accept freedoms hand.

This is the Memorial Tower at the American Military Cemetery at Margraten, the Netherlands and a couple of other shots. It's a very peaceful, out of the way place, but every Memorial Day is full of Dutch civilians who remember the Americans who rescued them from the German occupation. The Queen (now the King) often participates, an Army unit and band always represents, and it is a very large ceremony every year. Quite a tribute to these heroes!

The Confederate Memorial in Arlington National Cemetery designed by Sgt. Moses Ezekial.

Battle Buddy Fort Wainwright, Alaska

At Gettysburg, the statue of Father William Corby, Chaplain of the Irish Brigade as he blesses the soldiers of the Brigade as they prepare to attack on the second day (2 July) of the battle. The brigade then went into the Wheatfield. The Irish Brigade consisted of 3 NY Regiments; 63rd, 69th, 88th and the 28th Massachusetts and 116th Pennsylvania. The statue was erected in 1910 and it was the first non-general statue placed on the battlefield. The statue stands on the same granite stone that Fr. Corby stood on in 1863. Father Corby later went on to serve 2 separate terms as the president of the University of Notre Dame.