Veteran's Wall of Honor AND Multi-War memorial-- Pittsburg TX
N 32° 59.736 W 094° 57.940
15S E 316351 N 3652515
A large modern memorial on the south side of the Camp County Courthouse grounds in downtown Pittsburg TX.
Waymark Code: WMKQXM
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 05/19/2014
Views: 4
This large memorial is interesting giving the tininess of this town. It memorial is one of three veteran's memorials in town (we are including the 1985 multi war memorial in that number).
This memorial dwarfs and subsumes the smaller multi-war memorial erected by the local VFW post in 1985 to the Camp county veterans who died in WWI WWII Korea and Vietnam.
Blasterz recognize the Legion's intent to honor veterans here, and as veterans ourselves we appreciate the effort. This monument is certainly impressive, but it has a gaudy and odd feel to it. That feeling of discomfort intensifies when upon study of the memorial, it comes to our attention that the focus here has been shifted off of an older more subtle memorial (erected decades before by another group) that honors the dead of several wars.
Worse, a monument to the County Commissioners who approved the placement is erected as part of the memorial. This looks like shameless political grandstanding to us. For all of these reasons, which are apart from the service and sacrifice of the veterans, this memorial makes us frankly very uncomfortable.
Type of Memorial: Multi-War Memorial
Wars mentioned (Multi-war only):
WWI
WWII
Korea
Vietnam
In Honor Of: Men and women of Camp County TX who served their country/died in 20th Century wars
Marker Text:
VETERANS WALL OF HONOR
GORDON MATTISON POST 422
THE AMERICAN LEGION
PISSTBIRG TX
2011
[list of names on flanking wings]
At base of the wall of honor, 3 flag poles with a white marble tablet that reads as follows:
"Dedicated to the everlasting memory of those men and women of Camp County who made the supreme sacrifice in World War I and World War II, Korea, and Vietnam, for the freedom of all men throughout the world.
Erected by Veterans of Foreign wars Post 5398, November 1985
World War I
[list of names]
World War II
[list of names]
Korea
[list of names]
Vietnam
[list of names]
Date of dedication: Wall of Honor: 11 Nov 2011 Multi-war memorial: 11 Nov 1985
Who Put it Here?: Wall of Honor: American Legion Gordon Mattison Post 422; Multi-War Memorial: Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 5398
Description of Memorial:
This large wall of honor surrounds and subsumes the smaller more subtle pre-existing multi-war memorial that I guess for waymarking purposes is now one memorial. We also note the presence of a monument honoring the politicians who approved the memorial's placement -- very tacky in our view as veterans and former electeds ourselves.
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