JUL 24, 14 .. THE ALASKA VETERAN'S MONUMENT ..

The Parks Highway is one of Alaska's major roads. The highway runs basically north and south between Anchorage Alaska and Fairbanks Alaska.  At one-mile intervals along the highway are 'mileposts' indicating where you are along the highway.  The mileposts begin at the Anchorage end of the highway and continue numbering upwards until Fairbanks is reached.

The Alaska Veterans Memorial is located at milepost 147 of the Parks Highway.  With no exception .. when I am traveling the 'Parks' .. winter .. summer .. spring .. or fall .. clear weather or winter snow and cold .. and all weather in between .. I stop at the Alaska Veteran's Monument to pay homage to our veteran's.

The below two roads are named appropriately ..

The grounds are peaceful and beautiful ..

The Visitor's Center is shown below ..

And below is the Alaska Veterans Memorial itself ..

IF at this point .. you turn 180 degrees around .. you will see the view that the above 'military scout' and Patti are perusing ..

Now we will go forward .. walking past our military scout we enter the Memorial site proper ..

 

 

Now looking first to the right side of the Memorial .. we see the United States Coast Guard .. 

My father served in the Coast Guard ..

My youngest son David .. served in the Air Force ..

I served as a commissioned officer in the Navy Seabee's ..

Prior to serving with the Seabees's .. I served as an enlisted member of the Marine Corps ..

My eldest son Robb .. served with the Army ..

These three generations (my father, myself and my two sons) of my family served in each of the five military services.

I have a very personal tradition that I perform on each and every visit here.  Starting on the right with the Coast Guard plaque in front of me .. and then moving one-by-one to the left .. Air Force .. Navy .. Marine Corps .. and Army .. I stand 'at-attention' and formally salute each service .. stating as I do so .. "Ladies and Gentlemen .. Officers and Men .. of the United States Coast Guard .. I salute you!" .. formally and crisply.   

Patti's father served with the Navy and the Merchant Marine ..



The Alaska National Guard is also honorably recognized.

How nice it was that .. as Patti and I traveled the Parks Highway up to Fairbanks and home again to Anchorage .. we enjoyed yet another profound visit to the Alaska Veterans Memorial.