Rear Admiral Richard E. Byrd - Winchester, Virginia - Antarctic Points of Interest on Waymarking.com

Statue dedicated to one of Antarctic's most famous explorers in his home town of Winchester, Virginia. The statue design is based off a historical photo of him and his dog and can be found here.

Plaque Text:
Admiral Richard Evelyn Byrd
1888-1957
The Winchester native attended The Virginia Military
Insititute, The University of Virginia, and graduated from
the U.S. Naval Academy, 1912.
He was a pioneer aviator and Polar explorer. In 1926,
he was the first to fly over the North Pole for which he
was awarded the U.S. Congressional Medal of Honor. In
1927, with three companions, he flew the Atlantic, flight
time 42 hours.
Admiral Byrd commanded five expeditions to the
Antarctic to explore the unknown regions from the air.
In 1929, Byrd, as navigator, with three companions, became
the first to fly to the South Pole returning to his base
Little America located on the face of the Ross Ice Shelf,
a 19 hour flight.
In 1933, a second Byrd expedition extended the
exploration Antarctica and continued scientific observations.
During the Antarctic winter of 1924, Byrd spent five months
alone in a hut at a weather station named Bolling Advance
Base. The base was named for his mother who lived at
326 Amherst Street, Winchester, where the Admiral was
born.
Admiral Byrd commanded three subsequent expeditions
and discovered and mapped 537,000 miles of Antarctic
territory. He was officially cited 22 times for bravery or
conspicuous conduct.
Admiral Byrd is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

Type of Waymark: Off Continent Point of Interest

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