Capt. Jeff Kuss USMC Memorial - Smyrna, TN

Description of the memorial:
www.captjeffkussusmcmemorial.com/
On June 2, 2016, at the age of 32, Kuss tragically lost his life when his jet crashed a day before the Great Tennessee Air Show in Smyrna. A Blue Angel F/A-18C Hornet similar to the jet flown by Captain Kuss and on loan from the National Aviation Museum in Pensacola, FL.

Although I wasn't home at the time, I live less than a mile from where Capt. Kuss crashed in Smyrna. This memorial is also nearby, located on TN266 Sam Ridley Pkwy and across from the Smyrna MQY airport. Parking is available at Lee Victory Park.

Capt. Jeff Kuss USMC Memorial - Smyrna, TN

Description of the memorial:
www.captjeffkussusmcmemorial.com/
On June 2, 2016, at the age of 32, Kuss tragically lost his life when his jet crashed a day before the Great Tennessee Air Show in Smyrna. A Blue Angel F/A-18C Hornet similar to the jet flown by Captain Kuss and on loan from the National Aviation Museum in Pensacola, FL.

Although I wasn't home at the time, I live less than a mile from where Capt. Kuss crashed in Smyrna. This memorial is also nearby, located on TN266 Sam Ridley Pkwy and across from the Smyrna MQY airport. Parking is available at Lee Victory Park.

Wilson Central High School Wall of Honor

Wilson Central High School is located south of Lebanon where Highway TN109 meets TN840. As you pass the entrance to the school, you see the Wall of Honor. Painted on a large rock face is a U.S. Flag, the words "Wall of Honor" and "We Support Our Troops", and alumni of the school who have served or are still serving in the U.S. Military.

Also highlighted on the wall is Michael L. Stansbery who was killed in action on 7/30/2010. Learn more about Army Spc. Stansbery HERE.

World Trade Center: Sculpture of Steel - Oak Ridge, TN

World Trade Center: Sculpture of Steel is a replica of the twin towers attacked on September 11, 2001. This is 20 feet tall and made out of rusted and ragged scraps of steel which has been welded together. This was presented to the American Museum of Science and Industry in Oak Ridge, TN by Limor Steel.

Calhoun, GA Memorial Arch with Sequoyah Statue

Located at the northern end of Calhoun is this memorial arch honoring soldiers. The arch is at a small triangular park where highway US41 (old Dixie Highway) meets GA225. The Arch and nearby Sequoyah statue were funded by the Calhoun Women's Club in 1927. The statues were made by JL Mott Iron Works in New York. The stone masonry was completed by W. Laurens Hillhouse.

One one side is a Confederate Memorial which commemorates the Battle of Resaca which was fought near here on May 14-15, 1864. On the other side, "Calhoun honors her World War Heroes 1917-1918" featuring a Doughboy statue.

Waverly 1978 Disaster Site Memorial Museum

On February 24, 1978 at 2:55 PM, two days after 24 cars of a Louisville & Nashville train wrecked on this site (The tracks are behind me across a street and behind a fence), workmen were cleaning up when 22,000 pounds of liquid propane fuel from a derailed tanker car ignited and caused a massive explosion. The blast and resulting fire destroyed a great part of Waverly's old town section that included homes and businesses. Sixteen people were killed in the disaster, including Waverly's police and fire chiefs. More than 200 people suffered injury, and damage was in the millions of dollars.

Today at this nearby site is an L&N Caboose, which also functions as a museum. Even though I stopped by on a Saturday in January and nobody was around, the door was unlocked. If you happen to arrive when the door is locked, there is a sign in the window for who you can call to have the door unlocked.

Happy Memorial Day 2015

On this Memorial Day, I thought I would share some memorials from around the area.



Weakley County War memorial - Dresden, TN
Located on the grounds of the Weakley County Courthouse in the town square of Dresden



Henderson County War Memorial - Lexington, TN
Located on the grounds of the Henderson County Courthouse on the town square in Lexington.



White County War Memorial - Sparta, TN
In honor of those who gave the supreme sacrifice from White County. This memorial is located on the grounds of the White County Courthouse in Sparta.



Dyer County WWII Memorial - Dyersburg, TN
Located in front of the county courthouse.



WWI Memorial Fountain - Jackson, TN
located on the grounds of the Madison County Courthouse in Jackson's town square.

Louisville, KY's Firefighter Memorial

This statue from 1995 is in a small public park in downtown Louisville across from the Jefferson County Courthouse. The statue depicts a firefighter who has rescued a baby to the delight of an older sister.



Also of note on this statue is two etched reliefs, one depicting modern firefighters in action stopping the building fire, and the other depicts a vintage scene. Also on the statue is the name of every Louisville firefighter who has fallen in the line of duty.

The Children's Holocaust Memorial - Whitwell, TN

The small southern town of Whitwell made national headlines when a small school project grew into a major tribute to tolerance and a remembrance for the millions who died in Nazi concentration camps.

Whitwell is a small town in Marion County, TN. After the coal mines closed, the area became quite poor. What happened next may help change the perception of what rural life in the south is all about.

Without any indication of what was to come, it started simply enough in 1998 in a Whitwell Middle School History class discussing World War II. The teacher discussed how six million Jews were slaughtered in the Nazi camps and a student asked how big Six Million is. In a town of just a little over one thousand people, it's hard to imagine just how big six million really is. One student doing research discovered that people from Norway wore paper clips as a symbol of resistance against the Nazis.

The teacher thought it would be an interesting exercise to see if they could gather a few paper clips as a small sampling of how big six million could be. The students began a letter writing campaign asking various people to donate paper clips to the project. After a few thousand had come in, some reporters came to visit the school to see what was going on. Those reporters told about the school's project and told the story nationally. A couple of years after they had started, over 29 Million paper clips had been sent to the school.

The school began to ponder what they should do with all of the paper clips. A couple of Jewish reporters who stayed in contact with the school searched Germany and found a vintage rail car which had been used to transport Jewish captives to the camps. The railcar was transported by boat to Baltimore and CSX delivered the car to Chattanooga in 2001.

Many students and townspeople came together to make the memorial site a long-lasting tribute. 11 million of the paper clips were placed inside the rail car, remembering not only the Jews but all of the other groups that were also killed in the Nazi camps. This memorial was dedicated on Nov. 9, 2001.

A documentary was filmed about the project, a full length movie titled "Paper Clips." I highly recommend everyone interested in this memorial should see that film.

Orchard Knob: Pennsylvania Union Soldier Statue

With the Civil War battles in and around Chattanooga, the oft overlooked Orchard Knob is a small historic battlefield with good news and bad news. The good news is it is rich with history, with numerous interesting monuments all within a short distance of each other. The bad news is it's located in what many would consider a bad part of town, so you might not want to go by yourself. I'm willing to drive most anywhere, but here there's not a convenient place to park (unless parking on the street is ok, and I don't know if it is). Still, I wouldn't go to the top unless I hid the valuables in my car and went with a buddy. All of the monuments photographed here were seen near the street, but someday I'd like to go to the top where the monuments are quite grand.

Today, the site is under the oversight of the National Park Service as part of the Chickamauga & Chattanooga National Military Park. For the full story of what happened here during the Civil War:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chattanooga_Campaign#Orchard_Knob

To see my other Orchard Knob photos:
www.flickr.com/photos/brent_nashville/tags/orchardknob/

Anniversary of the Challenger Disaster

Located on the bank of the Toccoa River by the old bridge in McCaysville, GA is this memorial to the seven astronauts who died in the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster.

The Challenger disaster is one of the most common "Everyone remembers where they were when they found out" moments. I was in the 2nd grade and when we got out of PE class, our teacher told us about it. My older brother was a huge NASA fan and when I got home from school, we watched the live news coverage for a good part of the afternoon.

This is the first time I have found such a memorial. I can't find any particular connection between McCaysville and the disaster (such as one of the astronauts being born or living here.)

Veterans Day roundup

I suppose I should have posted this yesterday on the actual date of the day of remembrance, but today is the federal holiday and many people have the day off, so I am posting it today. We are going to look at some of the ways that Veterans are memorialized around the state.

First here is a statue on the grounds of the Stewart County Courthouse in Dover.


Here is a Hickman County marker in Centerville:



Here is the Greene County Veterans Memorial in Greeneville:



Finally, this is the memorial in Rockwood, which is located at a prominent intersection of US27 and US70.

September 11, 2001 Memorial - Cleveland, TN

Through blurred eyes we find the strength and courage to soar beyond the moment.
We look to the future knowing we can never forget the past.
God Bless America.

Dedicated to the Law Enforcement officers, firefighters, Emergency workers and military personnel who keep our community safe.

This memorial is located in front of the Bradley county courthouse in the center of the town square in Cleveland, TN.

On Memorial Day, Remembering Those Who Gave All

If you live near Murfreesboro, I recommend you check out the Flags of Remembrance. The grassy lawn on Medical Center Parkway next to The Avenue has been transformed into an awe-inspiring field of over 1500 United States Flags in honor of those Americans who serve and sacrifice.

Many cities and counties build memorials to remember the local people who died for our country and our freedom. Here is a sampling of some of those memorials.



First is the Stewarts County Veterans Memorial in Dover, TN, and the Sullivan County Memorial in Blountville, TN



Here is the Dickson County War Memorial behind the War Memorial building in Dickson, and the Hickman County Memorial in Centerville



Here we have the Simpson County Memorial in Franklin, Ky and the Bradley County memorial in Cleveland, TN



Finally, we have a couple of memorials to a couple of specific soldiers. On the left is a memorial to PFC Jerry Wayne Gentry in Cartersville, GA whose actions saved the lives of four other soldiers. On the right is a memorial to Medal of Honor winner Sgt. Francos Green in Erin, TN.

Newbern April 02, 2006 Tornado Memorial

Newbern is a city in Dyer County in West Tennessee. 6 years ago, the city was hit by a devastating tornado. This memorial is located in front of the train depot in Newbern, TN,

It reads:
For as long as the Train rolls by let the whistle sound the remembrance of these we love & miss.
(Then the 16 names are listed)
Along the railroad are 16 Dogwoods planted for each friend. Each tree greets visitors to a community who cares.

Happy Memorial Day!

Continuing the theme from yesterday, here are some more pictures from the Flags of Remembrance event in Murfreesboro.



At each corner of the field was a wooden cut-out of an American Soldier kneeling with and with a rifle.

Murfreesboro 2011 Flags of Remembrance

For the 2011 Memorial Day Weekend, the Murfreesboro Noon Exchange Club is sponsoring the 3rd annual Healing Field Flags of Remembrance.

The grassy lawn on Medical Center Parkway next to The Avenue has been transformed into an awe-inspiring field of over 1500 United States Flags in honor of those Americans who serve and sacrifice.

Sewanee Memorial Cross

This is the approx. 60 ft. tall Memorial Cross on the campus of University of the South in Sewanee, TN. The cross was built in 1922 in honor of war veterans and is near the edge of a western bluff of the mountain, where you can see it for miles away.

September 11th memorial: Lest We Forget

This monument is in front of the Lebanon, TN City Hall, which is a building on the old Castle Heights Military Academy. The monument was made by Lebanon's Charles C. Johnson of Johnson Monument Company.

The sign reads:
The citizens of Lebanon will always remember the men, women and children who lost their lives as a result of acts of terrorism on the World Trade Center, the U.S. Pentagon, and United flight 93. and we will forever honor those brave firefighters, police officers, medical care providers and those brave Americans on United flight 93 who gave their lives for others on September 11, 2001.