Posted on Apr 16, 2017
Which historic military sites have been the most memorable for you?
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Since many of us have the opportunity to travel the world and visit historic battlefields, which sites would you say have been the most memorable for you? For me, it has to be Belleau Wood with a good Marine buddy of mine, and the site where the 3rd Infantry Division adopted the nickname, ''Rock of the Marne'' in Mezy, France.
Edited 7 y ago
Posted 7 y ago
Responses: 298
SFC (Join to see) My favorite site to date has been Gettysburg. I am always in a reflective mood when I think of the sacrifices that were made there and the other places I have visited.
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LTC David Stark
I agree with you on visits to Gettysburg. I have a particular connection there, as my great-grandfather fought on the northern side of Oak Ridge on the first day as a member of the 104th NY Volunteers. In addition, I have a copy of his memoirs, and plan to start up a blog of my visits to the sites where he and his unit were engaged -- I've already visited Gettysburg, Antietam, and Appomattox Court House.
At Gettysburg, you are free to explore all the positions along both lines. And they usually have mowed a path that generally follows the center of mass of Pickett's Charge across the fields between Seminary Ridge and Cemetery Ridge that you are free to walk. It is pretty gentle grade all the way along until you reach the Emmittsburg Road, and then slopes up to the Angle. I guesstimate the slope there to be less than 10%. I was at the Angle several years ago with a group of German visitors when several re-enactors in Confederate garb did the walk -- it made for a spectacular opportunity for the Germans to chat with some knowledgeable people!
At Gettysburg, you are free to explore all the positions along both lines. And they usually have mowed a path that generally follows the center of mass of Pickett's Charge across the fields between Seminary Ridge and Cemetery Ridge that you are free to walk. It is pretty gentle grade all the way along until you reach the Emmittsburg Road, and then slopes up to the Angle. I guesstimate the slope there to be less than 10%. I was at the Angle several years ago with a group of German visitors when several re-enactors in Confederate garb did the walk -- it made for a spectacular opportunity for the Germans to chat with some knowledgeable people!
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CWO2 James Mathews
Before my visiting Gettysburg I did some research on the battle from beginning to end. I was very glad that I did since many of the monuments, and places we went on the tour were places and people that I would otherwise have not recognized! The bus tour with its sounds of the opening battle was excellent, and started a very informative and fulfilling visit. My visit there, was a great influence on my involving myself in a long period of active military Civil War Reenactmet, where I created my own unit, the "Northeast Topograpgical Engineers," (a unit still in operation after my retirement from active reenactment) and one in which I was pleased to accumulate a file of over 1,000 maps, drawings, plans, and sketches drawn by myself, and just as many again, by the other members of the unit.
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TSgt Larry Johnson
I had visited Gettysburg at least 5 times. My Aunt lived in Fairfield, which is within 8 miles. I remember seeing it when Dad brought us back from Okinawa. I started reading about the Civil War from then on. Also did reenacting with the 15th Texas Infantry for a couple of years. Still have my Confederate Uniform. All my relatives loved to go to Gettysburg with me when we visited Pennsylvania. I would give them the history of the battle. Looking across the field of Pickets charge was just as chilling as looking at the bluffs that overlooked Omaha beach. We were never as tough as those men.
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CSM Charles Hayden
I do my best, I want to think I recall hearing FDR on the radio in December of 1941.
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MSgt (Join to see)
The aura of the Arizona memorial tugs on your emotions while you are there. Especially seeing the oil bubble up from below.
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CPO Rob Carleen
I was stationed on Ford Island and had a chance to really see the damage done, our boat passed the Arizona and the mooring spots of all the rest of the battleships to and from work each day. I also was privileged to know 4 sailors and a marine that survived the attack. Their stories really made me understand the horror of the day more than any movie or documentary.
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It would have to be sitting off the coast of Iwo Jima in 1991. I was on one part of the ship where we had a good view. Practically every Marine came up to look at the Island and Mount Suribachi. It was like a church or a shrine. They would just come up and lok at it for a few moments and never say a word, then go back to their berthing area.
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GySgt Leo Rochon RETIRED
Although I have been all over the South Pacific, and to the DMZ in Korea, I'd have to agree that standing on Iwo Jima has to be the most historically significant to me.
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CPO Emmett (Bud) Carpenter
Pearl Harbor is number one. Sailing thru the area of the carrier battle for Midway is a close second for a carrier sailor.
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GySgt Leo Rochon RETIRED
I spent 12 years of my career (two separate tours) in Hawaii, and I spent many days at Pearl Harbor. When I was on Career Planner duty, nearly half of the Marines I reenlisted wanted to do it at the Arizona Memorial st morning colors. I also took a team of about 20 Marines to the USS Missouri where we busted rust, and cleaned up the Marine gun turret when they were making her ready for the public. Hawaii will always have a warm part of my heart. Best duty of my career.
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Fantastic question. For me it's a hard choice to pick just one. My great grandfather is buried in the Ardennes Cemetery, Bastogne site of Battle of the Bulge, and Pattons grave are definitely among the top locations I have visited.
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COL Charles Williams
SSG Bethany Viglietta - Shit, those places are intense (all American Military Cemeteries are for me) for me, and I have no direct family connection. You should be proud.
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MSgt Thomas Mason
I've been there a number of times and it is impressive as you state. Patton's wife Beatrice wanted to be buried next to "Georgie" but was not allowed. Her family scattered her cremains on top of his grave some time after the war, so she's with him none-the-less. As I recall it's located at Ham, Luxemburg, just outside Luxemburg City. In 1953 we visited Bastogne (I was 12 years old) and I climbed on the Sherman tank in the city square, at that time it was filled with junk, beer cans and other stuff. Since then it's been cleaned and painted original colors, the Germany 88 hole is impressive. My youngest uncle was a combat engineer and wounded at Bastogne, he celebrated his 17th birthday in a hospital in England. When his platoon leader was present to pin his purple heart, he was also thinking about paddling his butt, he was still a baby in the lieutenants eyes. There is a military organization for those kids, as I recall "Underage Combat Veterans" or something to that extent. Kind of like the Navy Seabee' who had an upper age limit of about 55. Many lied and were in their 70's while in the Pacific. A bunch of old fart HERO'S. TeePee
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MAJ John Douglas
I've stood next to Patton's grave in Luxembourg and looked at at so many American graves, the gleaming white crosses and stars of David. What a magnificent place.
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Does Arlington count? Watching one of the wreath presentations and listening to Taps at the end. Lucky of me and my son that is was raining, or the public would have seen an Army Captain and a Navy E6 crying.
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CPT Lawrence Cable
We were recently at the Wall (Vietnam Memorial) and my wife commented that the memorial was very sad. I told her that maybe war memorials should be sad as a reminder of the terrible cost that we pay for the act.
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SGT Kevin Berman
I was going to comment Arlington also, though that primarily due to my father and mother being buried there.
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PO3 Donald Murphy
Wow! Hats off to both of you. One of the ultimate examples of the USMC bravery and combat skill. I'd love to visit Iwo. Tarawa and Guadalcanal as well.
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PO1 Terence Wenner
Been there a few times when I was Stationed in Japan we do carrier quals there and seeing from the top of the mountain how hard it most of been.
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SCPO Stephen Ibanez
Wish I had the chance to climb Suribachi, but we were on Iwo Jima for less than an hour to refuel.
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The battles of Lexington and Concord on April 19th 1775 in Massachusetts. Three of My own relatives marched with the Minutemen from Sudbury to battle the British at Old North Bridge in Concord on that day. The old battle road from Lexington tho Concord is a National Historic site. April 19th is a holiday in Massachusetts each year called Patriot's Day and that entire weekend there are reenactments. All the pictures here are the original locations on battle road. One picture however of the Wayside Inn in Sudbury is the location the Sudbury Minutemen including My relatives marched from. That is not along the battle road but the minutemen still march from there to reenact the battle. This battle was the shot heard around the world as the American Colonist stood up to the British Army in battle. You may also notice Battle road is not paved but dirt just as it was back in 1775. Also the taverns, homes and farms that stood then have all been restored and are still there and maintained by the National Park Service. NOTE: to see all six (6) pictures click on one of the pictures showing here.
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My grandmother's grandfather fought at Shiloh for the Ohio Infantry. My wife's ancestor fought for Louisiana.
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MAJ John Douglas
My great great grandfather was a private in the 22nd Alabama Infantry, CSA. He has my undying respect for what they put up with and lived through.
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Hand Down. Belleau Wood. I found a long lost relatives name inside the chapel. Drank like 10 hand fulls of water from the fountain so hopefully I will live to 150 years old.
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Mine were Verdun, Waterloo, Gettysburg, Alamo, Saratoga, Oriskany, Ticonderoga, Antietam, Vicksburg, Normandy and the Somme. In every case it was a moving experience. I don't think anyone can ever appreciate the Hell that was Verdun or the Somme. I stood on the field at Waterloo and thought about the Charge of the Royal Scots Greys and Marshall Ney. Gettysburg - standing at Lee's statue looking toward the High Water Mark of the Confederacy and thinking - what courage it took to march across that field and at the 20th Maine Monument and thinking - how close Lee came to winning that battle. At Point du Hoc - I asked myself how anyone could scale those cliffs.
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Sgt Michael Sayles
MSgt Thomas Mason - I was lucky enough to go deer hunting with a Ranger commander who went of those cliffs, Lt Kerschner I worked with his son he was a very humble, quite man with a DSC for his actions on that day and the following 2 days.
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MSgt Thomas Mason
President Teddy Roosevelt's youngest son, Quentin, was shot down and killed in the Somme in 1918 and buried along an isolated road where he remained until after World War 2. He was eventually relocated to the Normandy cemetery to rest beside his oldest brother, Teddy Roosevelt Junior. Quentin's final service was attended by thousands of German soldiers as Germany had tremendous respect for President Teddy. Quentin was killed when he attacked a half dozen German fighters, shot in the head he crash landed in German territory. General Teddy Roosevelt junior is a significant father of the American Legion.
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MSgt Thomas Mason
I have been to Pointe du Hoc where the Rangers scaled the cliffs. Funny they didn't realize the ropes attached to the hooks they fired up the cliff would become water-logged and too heavy to reach the tope of the cliff? Each time I also toured St. Mere Eglise and had a hard time dealing with the paratroopers hanging dead from the trees and roof top. I didn't want to think about it, but couldn't work it out of my mind. My son was a Ranger in the 75th. The preplanning was a sorry story of failure, exacerbated by much heavier ground fire causing the drops to be made in the wrong places. Image them not knowing of the hedges they would need to penetrate? The losses were horrendous!
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