Angel Fire Veteran’s Memorial

Angel Fire Memorial

Poetrooper was kind enough to send this along. The visually stunning memorial and grounds that began to commemorate a lost son and the men he died with, became the first major Viet Nam Veteran Memorial and only state park in the United States.

The Memorial was dedicated in 1971 and Congress recognized the site as a memorial of national significance in 1987.

In Poe’s words:

This memorial in Angel Fire, NM is uniquely beautiful both because of its dramatic mountain setting and the stark, sweeping architecture.

When we were living in Ruidoso, Linda and I stumbled on it during a Jeep trek up to Taos. I had no idea it existed and spotted the bright white structures on the crest of a foothill below Wheeler Peak, the highest mountain in the state, and went to investigate out of curiosity.

I was totally blown away. I’ve been to the Wall in D.C. several times as well as other Vietnam memorials around the country, and can say without doubt that, to me, this one is the most visually and emotionally impressive. On our first visit the museum displays were rather sparse so I later sent them some of my memorabilia, including my most prized, signed print of “God Loves the Grunt” by George Skypeck, a Vietnam veteran and professional acquaintance who became a noted war artist. I met George at a medical conference at the Washington Hilton back in the early ’80’s where the original painting was on display. I bought a signed print on the spot.

Here’s a link to the story of the very unique creation of this seminal work of Vietnam War art. As you can see, there were many prominent American veterans, including Colin Powell, associated with this work.

God Loves the Grunt

Much to my delight, at 4:50 in the video, the camera pauses on my donated print. The last time we visited before moving to Arkansas, they had yet to display it and I came close to asking them to return it so I could donate it to the Infantry Museum at Ft. Benning. I’m now very glad I didn’t.

In any event, I thought the story of how the memorial came to be built at such a remote place as Angel Fire and the unique beauty of the memorial itself might make an interesting article for TAH viewers, probably none of whom know it’s even there.

Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial

Thanks, Poe.

Category: Blue Skies, Guest Link