Today is Memorial Day in the United States. It’s a day to remember those who lost their lives while in military service to their country, generally while in active duty. Unofficially it’s also often considered the first day of summer.
A few months ago, my wife and I were visiting Oklahoma City for a few days; one of our stops in the city was at the state’s Capital building. Near the capital, just outside of the Supreme Court Building, was the state’s Veterans’ Memorial. I’ve found that such memorials are truly best done at a local level.
At the front of the memorial is a statue of “The Big Guy”. He’s Mike Mullings, a Veteran of the Vietnam War and the founder of this memorial.
(The “Big Guy”)
Behind him are four walls with bronze panels representing World War I, World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War.
Within the Memorial Park are several granite walls inscribed with the names of every known Oklahoman killed in action since the Spanish-American War (through to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan).
On December 7, 1999, a memorial to the USS Oklahoma was unveiled, dedicated to those killed at Pearl Harbor.
The State of Oklahoma donated the land for the memorial and its construction was funded by donations from all over the country. A nice tribute to those who paid the ultimate price.
