Vietnam Veterans Memorial of Greater Rochester, Highland Park South, Rochester, NY, USA
Posted by: 
monkeykat
N 43° 07.693 W 077° 36.595
18T E 287707 N 4778360
This Memorial was placed to commemorate the 280 men who gave their lives for freedom, and to educate future generations about their experiences, sacrifices, and to aid in healing for all those left behind. A steel bollard is dedicated to each man.
Waymark Code: WM174R
Location: New York, United States
Date Posted: 02/07/2007
Views: 215
This memorial is located in downtown Rochester NY. It is located in the Southern part of Highland Park. The memorial was dedicated on September 8, 1996. It features a winding walkway with steel plaques for the 280 Rochester men who died in the Vietnam War. There is also a stone memorial dedicated to all Congressional Medal of Honor winners from the Vietnam War.
Nearby to the Vietnam Memorial sits a stone plaque is dedicated to Rochester POW/MIAs from the conflict, as well as a second plaque dedicated to those killed in the Korean War from the Rochester area. I suggest visiting these memorials also, as long as you are in the area.
This memorial is a truly beautiful tribute to the men who died in the war from the Rochester area. Stone walkways, dark granite monuments, a flag stand area, various sculptures, and beautiful gardens surround the area.
From the Memorial's Web Site comes the following description:
The Memorial consists of five components. The Memorial Overlook has a map of the world and the flags of America, the branches of service in the order in which they were created, and the POW/MIA flag. The Mobil Corporation Veterans Garden shows The Soldier, designed by Wayne Williams (with inspiration from the logo designed by Amie Freling), walking into a very polished black granite wall symbolizing the living veteran remaining in contact with the veteran who has passed through the wall. The Frontier Corporation Learning Center contains granite slabs, including the map of Vietnam, comparative data from other wars, the women in service block, and a list of the Korean veterans from the region who died or are missing, as a show of kindred spirit for all veterans. The Garden of Reflection is an area for people to sit and comprehend the impact of the Vietnam Era on America. The Walk of Honor, containing 280 stainless steel bollards, one for each of the 280 men killed or missing in Vietnam from our region, connects the three gardens. The bollards are on the inside of the Walk and form a serpentine line, like a patrol in Nam. On the outside of the Walk of Honor, engraved in curbed granite, is the Timeline that presents a snapshot history of the Vietnam Era. The Timeline is a resource for our community and future generations to help understand this tumultuous time in our history. Bollard sponsors are identified with a plaque on the back of each bollard. Serving as a perimeter for the patrol of the 280 bollards are Medal of Honor trees donated by Rochester Gas & Electric, the American Forest Famous and Historic Trees, and the Congressional Medal of Honor Society. Twenty-three American redbud trees commemorating the twenty-three Medal of Honor recipients from New York State form the Congressional Medal of Honor Grove.
There is a geocache in the area to honor the veterans. Be sure to visit it if you are interested.