Mary takes us on a tour around the state to see memorials dedicated to veterans, including the Soldiers and Sailors Monument in Cleveland, and the Ohio Veterans' Memorial Park in Clinton.
Class Discussion Questions:
1) Does your community honor veterans? Explain how.
Read the Script:
In Ohio, our veterans are a real source of pride. Brave men and women from the Buckeye State have served in every major conflict in our country's history and we found many ways to honor them over the years, dedicating monuments, parks, and bridges to them. One such monument lies right in the heart of downtown Cleveland.
The Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument was built in 1894 to honor the Civil War soldiers and sailors from Cuyahoga County. Its designer, architect, and Civil War veteran, Levi's Scofield, was so passionate about the project that he worked on it for over seven years without compensation, and used much of his own money to create it. This 125-foot tall monument features life-like bronze statues representing the four branches of the Union Army, the Navy, Cavalry, Infantry and Artillery, and it's topped with a bronze Goddess of Liberty Statue, representing loyalty to the United States.
But this monument has a little surprised that, at first glance, you might not notice. It actually has an inside, which is possibly even cooler than the outside. The room inside is lined with marble tablets listing 9,000 Civil War veterans from Cuyahoga County. There's also four bronze sculptures depicting different periods of the Civil War, as well as busts of famous Colonel James Barnett and officers killed in action. Scofield's monument was fully restored in 2008 and is a prominent part of the recently renovated public square.
Further down south in Clinton is a park consisting of a series of monuments all designed to honor another generation of veterans — those from the Vietnam War. The park features a 125-foot long, black granite wall, with the names of the 3,095 Ohioans lost during the Vietnam War. Close to the wall are stone statues, depicting gold star parents: parents of soldiers who were killed in war.
The newest installment at the park honors Ohio's Medal of Honor recipients. The Medal of Honor is considered the highest military honor given in the United States and over 300 Ohioans have been awarded the honor. Several Medal of Honor recipients were on-hand at the dedication ceremony of the memorial, including Ohio's Hershel Woody Williams, the last living Medal of Honor recipient to fight in the major Battle of Iwo Jima during World War II.
Speaking of World War II, did you know that one of the largest memorials to World War II veterans outside of Washington D.C. is in Ohio? For a long time, the servicemen and women of Marion County were commemorated only with a deteriorating wooden structure outside the courthouse, but a small group of citizens knew the veterans deserve better, and the committed group raised money to build the World War II Memorial at Marion Cemetery. There the names of local men and women, who aided in the war, are inscribed on an awe-inspiring black granite structure. On the back of this World War II Memorial is a line that I think really sums up our veterans: "They sought no bounty, leaving peace in their footsteps."
Instructional Links
Website Article: Ohio Department of Veterans Services, Ohio Veterans Hall of Fame, Medal of Honor Recipients
http://dvs.ohio.gov/VETERANS_HALL_OF_FAME/Inductees/CMOH_Recipients
Website Article: Ohio Department of Veterans Services, Ohio Veterans Home, Sandusky Veterans Home Military Museum
http://dvs.ohio.gov/VETERANS_HOMES/Sandusky_Home/Military_Museum
Website Article: U. S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Ohio Western Reserve National Cemetery
http://www.cem.va.gov/cems/nchp/ohiowesternreserve.asp
Website: National Veterans Memorial and Museum, Columbus, OH
Website: Soldiers and Sailors Monument, Cleveland, OH