Which historic military sites have been the most memorable for you?

I have seen so many. Pearl Harbor standing over the USS Arizona, Diving into Truk Harbor seeing the different Japanese Ships Navy Aircraft sunk, standing on Utah Beach knowing that my Uncle on June 6, 1944 was on a Mine Sweeper off that very coast as part of Operation Neptune. then stood at the Florence-American Cemetery & Memorial in Italy. as well as others but none have moved me as much and still do as when I walked the battlefield of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Knowing that it was American fighting American, Brother killing Brother. Seeing how massive a place it is, standing where Pickett's Charge started, standing on the promontory where General Meade stood and watched and commanded most of the conflict. Kneeling at the Soldiers Monument and crying and praying that our Republic will never be divided again. hearing the various stories being told by the Rangers about the various skirmishes and conditions. Then walking over to Cemetery Hill where Lincoln gave his address and reading the words aloud. What historic military site was most memorable? Gettysburg!

The Fulda Gap in Germany when it was still East and West Germany during the Cold War inside the 1K zone or "No Man's Land"

Two words: Pearl Harbor.

For me, the Arlington national cemetery, especially the tomb of the unknown Soldier.

To me it is the Vietnam Memorial, better known as the wall. My first official visit to D.C., on TDY orders for a job interview at USCG Headquarters, afforded me the opportunity to visit it. I openly cried (in uniform) as I picked out the names of my shipmates who were either KIA, MIA, or lost at sea during my carrier's deployment to Vietnam in 1972-73.

The other one that gripped me with the historical significance of it is the US Military Cemetary at Omaha Beach, Normandy, France. The headstones of the 11,000 plus soldiers, sailors, airmen, Coast guardsmen, and others, who lost their lives during D-Day (and beyond) stand as a silent reminder of the sacrifices those who go before the enemy have made for our freedom.

Two other stark reminders of those sacrifices are the USS ARIZONA as we manned the rails and paid honors to as we steamed past on the MIDWAY and also Ft. Rosecrans National Cemetary, on the seaward facing side of apt Loma, San Diego; once again Manning the rail and paying honors, this time on a Coast Guard Cutter.

Those are the ones that I have seen and paid honors to.

Stone Mountain n all the great civil war memorials that are unfortunately being torn down by the new liberals

April 18, 1942. Four months after the attack on Pearl Harbor, 80 crewmen on 16 B-25 bombers launched from the deck of the USS Hornet, deep in enemy waters in the Pacific. Their target: Tokyo, Japan. One of the 'sites" compass needed.
Army Air Corp crews aboard a man of war at sea. Sailors and Marines of the USS Hornet vastly out numbered in hostile seas.

SFC (Join to see)
Mine would be the USS Arizona Memorial in Pearl Harbor, HI. I had the honor of participating in the Pearl Harbor Remembrance Ceremony one year and got to meet a lot of WWII/Pearl Harbor Survivor vets. Very humbling!

We just conducted a Staff Ride to Normandy. Such an amazing experience!

Hiroshima 1978. Everything looked relatively new, like 30 years old or so. The Peace Park and Museum was an eye-opener to the extent of damage. The dome structure of a shrine still stands almost directly below the air burst. It also had some artifacts that were interesting. They had some of the ruggedized sensors that had been emplaced by US Naval Intelligence before the "experiments". Both Hiroshima and Nagasaki were chosen for their strategic importance and political considerations, but also due to the terrain. The basin-like areas would better contain the blast to some extent, and enable the scientists to better evaluate the effects of the "devices". Possibly the greatest number of casualties ever inflicted in a matter of seconds in the recorded history of mankind. Roughly 1/2 of the 140,000 and 80,000 deaths at Hiroshima and Nagasaki respectively, died on the first day or within the initial blast. 70,000 lives gone in a matter of seconds, minutes or hours.