North Carolina Veterans Monument, Raleigh
The 40 foot tall monument rests on a base holding bronze plaques that depict major battle scenes from World War I, World War II, and the Korean War in bas-relief. A bronze "eternal flame" sits above the plaques. Lady Liberty, dressed in classical garb, stands at the top of the monument; she steps forward with her right leg while holding a tobacco leaf high in the air with both arms.
Flags of the armed forces (Army, Navy, Cost Guard, Air Force, and Marines) are arrayed on top of four pillars behind the monument.
Images:
Eternal flame |
Bronze plaque |
Left section, WORLD WAR I |
Center section, WORLD WAR II |
Right section, KOREAN WAR
On the bottom of the front of the base of long shaft: THIS MEMORIAL IS DEDICATED / TO THE HEROIC MEN AND / WOMEN OF NORTH CAROLINA / WHO SERVED IN AMERICA’S / WARS. AS LONG AS THE FLAME / OF FREEDOM BURNS, THE / MEMORY OF THEIR SACRIFICE / FOR PEACE SHALL ENDURE.
Bronze plaque: MEMORIAL TO VETERANS OF WORLD WAR I / WORLD WAR II AND THE KOREAN WAR / ERECTED 1990 / VETERANS' MEMORIAL COMMISSION MEMBERS / CHAIRMAN - BILLY RAY CAMERON / CO-VICE CHAIRMAN - JOHN T. BODE, JOHN H. THOMPSON, JR. /
ZEB ALLEY, ARTHUR LEE ASHBURN III / WILLIAM C. COX, CHARLES T. CARPENTER, JR. / K.P. JOHNSON, FRED T. HOWELL / DANNY MOODY, HARLAN LABAR / CLIFFORD L. ROBERTS, W. DUDLEY ROBBINS / E.T. TOWNSEND, LAWRENCE O. WALSER, SR. / SCULPTOR-DESIGNER RICHARD H. AMLUNG, BUILDER JOYNER’S MEMORIAL INC.
Bronze plaque, left section: MAJOR ENGAGEMENTS OF WORLD WAR I / CAMBRAI, AISNE-MARNE. MEUSE-ARGONNE / SOMME DEFENSIVE, SOISSONS, MONTFAUCON / LYS, OURCQ RIVER, ST. QUENTIN / AISNE, SERGY, BLANC MONT / CANTIGNY, VESLE RIVER, BOIS DE FORET / CHATEAU-THIERRY, SOMME OFFENSIVE, CUNEL HEIGHTS / BELLEAU WOOD, OISE-AISNE, ROMAGNE HEIGHTS / NOYON-MONTDIDIER, YPRES-LYS, VITTORIO-VENETO / CHAMPAGNE-MARNE, JUVIGNY, BARRICOURT HEIGHTS / ST. MIHEIL
Left section of second small base: WORLD WAR I / 1917-1918
Bronze plaque, center section: MAJOR ENGAGEMENTS OF WORLD WAR II / PEARL HARBOR, PHILIPPINE SEA, CASSINO / BATAAN, GUAM, NORMANDY INVASION / JAVA SEA, LEYTE, CHERBOURG / CORREIGIDOR, LEYTE GULF, BATTLE OF THE HEDGEROWS / CORAL SEA, LUZON, ST. LO / MIDWAY, IWO JIMA, MORTAIN / GUADALCANAL, MINDANAO, ARGENTAN-FALAISE POCKET / PAPUA, OKINAWA, SOUTHERN FRANCE / BISMARCK SEA, BATTLE OF THE ATLANTIC, METZ / NEW GUINEA, NORTH AFRICA, AACHEN / RABAUL, SICILY, HUERTGEN FOREST / BOUGAINVILLE, SALERNO, BATTLE OF THE BULGE / TURAWA, VOLTURNO RIVER, ALSACE / BIAK, RAPIDO RIVER, REMAGEN / SAIPAN, ANZIO, RUHR POCKET
Center section of the second small base: WORLD WAR II / 1941-1945
Bronze plaque, right section: MAJOR ENGAGEMENTS OF THE KOREAN WAR / OSAN, OH' ONGCH' ON RIVER, WONSAN / KUM RIVER, KUNU-RI, SONGJIN / TAEJON, CHANGJIN RESERVOIR, SOYANGE RIVER / PUSAN PERIMETER, YUDAM-NI, CH’ ORWON / NAKTONG BULGE, HAGARU-RI, KUMHWA / TAEGU,
KOT’ O-RI, PUNCHBOWL / INCH’ ON, HUNGNAM, BLOODY RIDGE / SEOUL, WONJU, HEARTBREAK RIDGE / P’ YONGYANG, CHIP’ YONG-NI, OLD BALDY / UNSAN, PORK CHOP HILL
Right section of the second small base: KOREAN WAR / 1950-1953
City of Raleigh
May 27, 1990
35.780900 , -78.629690
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"Memorial to N.C. Veterans to Be Dedicated in Raleigh," The Dispatch (Raleigh, NC), May 23, 1990, (accessed December 29, 2011) Link
"North Carolina Veteran's Day," NCVeteransParade.com, (accessed May 16, 2012) Link
"North Carolina Veteran's Monument - Honoring WWI, WWII, and Korean War Veterans in Downtown Raleigh," Active Rain, (accessed April 9, 2012) Link
"North Carolina Veteran's Monument, Raleigh, North Carolina," Waymarking.com, (accessed February 1, 2012) Link
"North Carolina Veterans Day Memorial," U.S. Army Civil Affairs & Psychological Operations Command (Airborne), (accessed February 6, 2012) Link
"North Carolina Veterans' Memorial," The Historical Marker Database, HMdb.org, (accessed February 1, 2012) Link
"Veterans Day Events," WRAL.com, November 9, 2007, (accessed May 16, 2012) Link
"Veterans' Memories Set in Stone as Tar Heels Dedicate Memorial," The News and Observer (Raleigh, NC), May 28, 1990
"Visit the North Carolina State Capitol," North Carolina Historic Sites, https://historicsites.nc.gov, (accessed April 9, 2019) Link
Borden, Sidney, Steven Chickos, and Daniel Jourdan. "The Korean War: North Carolina's Commemoration of the 'Forgotten War'," uploaded February 4, 2014, YouTube, (accessed February 4, 2014) Link
Yes
The memorial was constructed of Mount Airy granite. The reliefs and statue of Lady Liberty are made of bronze.
Veteran's Memorial Commission, funded by the North Carolina General Assembly
$535,000
Veterans and their families along with members of the general public were invited to attend the dedication of the monument, which took plase at 3 PM on the north lawn of the Raleigh State Capitol Building. Governor Martin, former Lieutenant Governor Bob Jordan, and Representative Liston Ramsey made brief remarks at the monument's dedication. Reverand Albert Edwards of Raleigh was the keynote speaker.
The monument honors North Carolina veterans of World War I, World War II, and the Korean War. In addition, the monument memorializes the 2,375 North Carolina soldiers who died in WWI, the 8,910 in WWII, and the 2,965 in the Korean War.
There were some complaints from the public that the monument too large and grandiose for the overcrowded Capitol Square.
The memorial is located just north of the Capitol building in Capitol Square.
The memorial is located on a pathway and is framed by small bushes and small trees that provide a shady alcove in Capitol Square.
The North Carolina veterans are honored yearly on Veterans Day with a wreath-laying ceremony near the memorial and parade downtown in Raleigh.
In 1987 the General Assembly appointed the Veterans' Memorial Commission (part of the Department of Cultural Resources) whose sole purpose was to develop a veterans memorial for North Carolina natives. The General Assembly allotted a certain amount of money to fund the project and the Commission was to disband after the dedication of the memorial.
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