He Fired When Ready-- Part 8: His Death, Burial and Honors

"The battle of Manila killed me, but I would do it again if necessary," were Charles Gridley's last  words on public record.  He died on June 5, 1898, while the Coptic was anchored in Kobe, Japan.  This was just over a month from the Battle of Manila Bay.

He was cremated in Yokohama and his ashes sent to his widow in Erie, Pennsylvania. Once there, the ashes were interned in the city's Lakeside Cemetery with great fanfare.  The Navy later placed four guns captured from the Spanish arsenal at Cavite by his graveside.

Fifteen years later, the people of Erie once again celebrated Charles Gridley by naming a municipal park after him.  In the center of Gridley Park is a simple Ionic column standing tall.  

At its base are two plaques recounting the details of Gridley's  service and death, made from metal recovered from the wreckage of the USS Maine.

--Cooter

The Sgt. Floyd Monument in Iowa-- Part 2: His Death and Monument

William Clark wrote this about Charles Floyd's death"

"...Serj. Floyd died with a great deal of composure.  Before his death, he said to me, "I am going away.  I want you to write me a letter."   We buried him on the top of the bluff 1/2 mile below a small river to which we gave   his name.  He was buried with the Honors of War much lamented.

"A seeder post with the (I)  Sergt. C. Floyd died here 20th of August 1804 was fixed at his grave.  This man at all times gave us proofs of his firmness and determined resolution to doe service to his countrey and honor to himself..."

Today, part of a 23-acre park, a 100-foot obelisk of heavy  Kettle River  sandstone marks the final resting place of Charleston  Charles Floyd, Jr.

The Sergeant  Floyd Monument  is a High Potential Historic Site on the Lewis and Clark  National Historic Trail.

Interesting Speller, That William Clark.  --Brock-Perry

Charles Floyd-- Part 4: Significance

From the National Park Service

SERGEANT CHARLES FLOYD

SIGNIFICANCE:  Member of the Lewis & Clark Expedition.    Only expedition member to die on the journey.

DATE OF BIRTH:  1782

PLACE OF BIRTH:  Likely born at Floyd's  Station, just east of Louisville, Kentucky, a log fort established in 1789 by his uncle,  John Floyd.

PLACE OF DEATH:  Near today's Sioux City, Iowa.

DATE OF DEATH:  August 20, 1804

PLACE OF BURIAL:  The sergeant's remains are buried  under the 100-foot obelisk near Sioux City, Iowa, which stands  in a location near the original site, a lasting tribute to this outstanding young soldier and member of the Corps of Discovery.

--Cooter

Chicago's National Bohemian Cemetery-- Part 6: Civil War and Spanish-American War Memorials

CIVIL WAR VETERANS MEMORIAL

I'll write more about this in my Saw the Elephant: Civil War blog.

Dedicated in 1892.  Said to be the first Bohemian soldiers monument in America.

*****************************

SPANISH AMERICAN WAR VETERANS MEMORIAL

If this statue looks familiar, then you've probably seen it in another cemetery or outside a government building in another state. The 8 1/2-foot-tall figure atop a granite boulder "represents the veteran as he appeared in the ranks" during the 1898 war, according to the Chicago Tribune story on the statues unveiling in September 1926.

A cross-shaped plaque listing the names of 147 Spanish-American War veterans was added in 1964.

DeKalb's Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Clock

From the March 4, 2020, MidWeek  (DeKalb County, Illinois)  "Looking Back."

1995, 25 Years Ago.

"The restoration of the DeKalb Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Clock, located on the north side of Lincoln Highway near Third Street, has been a project of the DeKalb Landmark Commission, the Downtown DeKalb Association and the DeKalb Memorial Clock Committee for about two years.

"The clock was originally erected with donated funds in 1921 and was located at the northeast corner of Third and Lincoln."

--Cooter

Honor Flight Chicago-- Part 3: How It Started

Co-founder of the Honor Flight Chicago hub is Mary Pettinatto, who took her step-father to the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C. shortly after it opened and encountered  one of te very first Honor Flights.

She was so moved that when she returned to Chicago, she co-founded the Chicago hub with the help of three other women in 2007.   The first flight took off in 2008 and now they have gone to D.C. 95 times.

With the aging of the orld War II veterans, they opened the flight to Korean War veterans in 2016 and this year to Vietnam War veterans.

"For our Vietnam  veterans, who returned home to open animosity and hostility, the day has proven to be one of healing and closure -- a true 'Welcome Home' that is 50 years overdue," says Doug Meffley, co-director of Honor Flight Chicago.

--Cooter

The National Honor Flight Origin

The whole Honor Flight idea originated with Earl Morris, a physician assistant with the Veterans Administration in Springfield, Ohio,  and Jeff Miller from Henderson, North Carolina, the son of a World War II veteran.  They did this in 2004, soon after the World War II Memorial was opened in Washington, D.C..

The first Honor Flight took place in May 2005 and took off from Springfield, Ohio, and flew World War II veterans to the memorial that was built in their honor.

The idea soon spread and hubs were added.  Honor Flight Chicago has become one of the largest hubs.

--Cooter

Honor Flight Chicago Opens Up to Vietnam Veterans-- Part 1

From the Nov. 8, 2019, Chicago Tribune "Next generation of warriors."

"They may not have felt like warriors in the years Vietnam veterans fought a thankless fought a world away.  But thanks to organizations such as Honor Flight Chicago, that has changed.

"Honor Flight Chicago, a not-for-profit, has for the past 11 years flown World War II and Korean War veterans to Washington, D.C., free-of-charge to visit the national war memorials built in their honor.  In 2019, the organization  began including Vietnam-era veterans in this Day of Honor."

A well-deserved honor.  I just can't believe how so many were treated when they came home during and after the war.  It kind of reminds me of the way Confederate veterans are being treated these days.

Missouri's Jerry Corp Memorial Highway

State of Missouri Revised Statutes.

Effective August  28, 2015

Chapter 227

227.417

JERRY CORP MEMORIAL HIGHWAY DESIGNATED FOR A PORTION OF U.S. HIGHWAY 160 IN OZARK COUNTY.

The portion of U.S. Highway 160  in Ozark County from the bridge that crosses Bryant Creek to a location two and a half miles east of such bridge shall be known as the "Jerry Corp Memorial Highway."

The costs for such designation shall be paid by private donations.

--Cooter

Memorial Clock Dedication Delayed By Influenza in 1918

From the December 5, 2018, MidWeek  "Looking Back."

1918, 100 Years Ago.

"The dedication of the Wiltberger memorial clock in Waterman, which was to have been held some time ago but was postponed on account of the prevalence of influenza, will occur on Sunday.

--Cooter

Korean War Veteran Chuck Class-- Part 2: The Turkey Dinner

Fortunately, he was never wounded during the conflict.

As an engineer, he usually wasn't near the front lines, except when his unit would give the infantry a night off and take their places along the front lines.

Both North Koreans and Chinese wore the same uniform.  U.S. and South Korea forces also wore the same uniform. About the closest he ever came to seeing the enemy was seeing them on a distant hill. "They were shooting at us and we were shooting at them."

In 2000, he and his wife went to Washington, D.C. and visited the Korean War Memorial.

His unit had their own cooks so they didn't have to eat the c rations.  They bought their own food and ate well.  He remembers one Thanksgiving where they had the complete turkey dinner, but had a glob of ice cream melting into it.

--Cooter

The VFW Supporting the World War I Centennial Commission

From the April 2017, VFW Magazine.

April 2017 marked the 100th anniversary of the United States joining World War I.  More than 199,000 service members gave their lives in the short 18 months of involvement.  On the United States, the U.S. World War I Centennial Commission has many events planned and the VFW (Veterans of Foreign Wars) is giving its complete support, according to National Commander Brian Duffy.

Public programs and events are planned all across the country.  They will kick off April 6, 2017, at the World War I Memorial in Kansas City, Missouri, (the Liberty Memorial) a little more than a mile from the VFW National Headquarters.  It will culminate with the dedication of the National World War I Memorial  in Washington, D.C.'s Pershing Park.

--DaCoot

Landmarks Illinois Offering Grants for World War I Memorials

From Landmarks Illinois.

There are only two more chances for people to apply for the Landmarks Illinois World War I Memorial Preservation Grant program.

The group is providing funding for outdoor monuments and memorials to the war 100 years ago.

The last two opportunities end May 15 and August 15, 2018.

--CootGrant

SS Tuscania Sunk By U-Boat-- Part 3: Sunk By the UB-77

On 5 February 1918, the convoy the Tuscania was in was spotted by the UB-77 during daytime and then stalked until early evening.  The German submarine fired two torpedoes and the second one struck.  The Tuscania sank in four hours, nearly three years to the day of its maiden voyage.

Many of the drowned washed up on the shore of Islay Island,.Scotland, and are buried there.  After the war, many of them were reinterred in the Brookwood Military Cemetery.

In 1919, the United states built a memorial on the island.

--Cooter

Groundbreaking for the Lincoln Memorial This Date in 1914

On February 12, 1914, groundbreaking for the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., took place.  A year later on this date, the cornerstone was laid.

Wonder why this date?

--CootAbe

New Hanover County (NC) in World War II-- Part 6: The Wilmington Memorial

Wilmington, North Carolina's Wold War I Memorial was originally in the middle of Market Street outside of New Hanover High School.  It stayed there until the 1970s when it was moved closer to the school.

In 2014, it was moved to the Wilmington Water front where it today is near the Coast Guard Cutter Diligence.

--Cooter

New Hanover County's Role in World War I-- Part 1

As I mentioned in the last post, I was able to attend the Federal Point Preservation Society's January meeting in Carolina Beach, N.C., at their History Center.

Dr. Jan Davidson of the Cape Fear Museum in Wilmington, N.C., gave the presentation "Service, Sacrifice & Memorialization: New Hanover County Residents in World War I."

The Society plans to have an exhibit at the museum for the 100th anniversary of World War I and plan to have it up by April.  The group was looking for someone to make a presentation on the war and couldn't have done any better as Dr. Davidson got her PhD on World War I.

Fort Caswell, by Southport, near the mouth of the Cape Fear River, was actually an  military base in World War I.

There was a World War I Memorial honoring New Hanover High School students who fought in the war located in front of the high school which has now been moved to Wilmington's Riverfront.

--Cooter

A Fitting 9-11 Memorial

I saw a piece of the World Trade Center ruins, a piece of twisted metal girder, at the Lincoln College College Museum in Lincoln, Illinois.  That really took me to the that unforgettable site.  I think it is too bad that similar pieces or artifacts weren't sent to each of the fifty states.

I am impressed with what they have done in New York City to memorialize the site of the WTC, but I would also have liked a part of that 6-7 story exterior that was still standing after the attack.  To me, that summed up the event as well as anything.

Titanic Victim Margaret Rice-- Part 4: She Perished Along With Her Five Sons

From Hub Pages:  The Titanic Irish Mother Margaret Rice and Children Died When the Ship Sank.

Two boats, the PS "America" and PS "Ireland" took boarding passengers from Queenstown Pier out to the Titanic.

Boarded April 11, 1912:

Albert 10, George 8, Eric 7, Arthur 4 and Eugene 2 1/2.

In 1998, a memorial stone in Cobh (Queenstown in 1912) for the Titanic passengers who boarded there depicts Margaret Rice and her five sons.

On April 15, 2009, a monument was dedicated in Spokane Cemetery at Fairmount Memorial Gardens for Margaret and her sons as well as three other Spokane residents who died on the Titanic.

--Cooter

America's "Doughboys"-- Part 1: A World War I Term

From Wikipedia.

Well, we found out in the last several posts, that the name "Doughboy" did not have anything to with the growing fondness of doughnuts that hit our soldiers during World War I.  I always figured it was because of the brownish color of their uniforms (although I always think of dough as being more whitish).

According to Wikipedia, Doughboy is an informal member of the United States Army and Marine Corps.  It especially applies to members of the American Expeditionary Army during World War I.

A popular mass-produced sculpture that was erected in front of many courthouses by a thankful public after they "boys" returned after the war in the 1920s was called "The Spirit of the American Doughboy."  There is one in front of the Wayne County Courthouse in Goldsboro, North Carolina.

However, it was initially used during the Mexican War 1846-1848.

Dough Me.  --Cooter