Photographs by Shadow Wolf
THE NATIONAL POW * MIA * KIA Traveling Memorial
Near THE NATIONAL
POW * MIA *
KIA Traveling Memorial, comrades and loved ones leave their poignant
tokens of remembrance of friends or family. Along with the 25 or more Flags that
are posted around the Memorial
"In the spring of 2002, THE NATIONAL POW * MIA * KIA Traveling Memorial
came
to be with the generous
donations from different businesses in the area.
The first Showing of THE POW * MIA * KIA Traveling Memorial e was in Hurricane, West Virginia
on May 21st 2002. The event was a stop over for the ROLLING THUNDER
RUN FOR THE WALL. The first item
left at the memorial was a Air Force Sgt. Stripes off the sleeve of an Air Force
Recruiting officer. He stood
at the memorial for a moment then laid it at its resting place at the
memorial.
“He said he was leaving this in memory of all the air force men that
gave it all. That was the first
offering."
The stories we are told of the offerings that are left at the memorial are passed
on to the public at the different showing of the memorial if we are told the story
of the offering that is left. The
offerings and letters that have been placed at the table are priceless and we
are honored to be the caretakers and keepers of the items that are left in our
trust by relatives, friends and comrades of the men and women that they
memorialize.
These offerings of remembrance are collected after each showing by The NATIONAL POW * MIA
* KIA Traveling Memorial and preserved in the
collection.
Some of the offerings were left with poems or letters (letters that were sealed
will always remain so), but others bear meanings known only to those who offered
them: a Mint Tin from World War I, The
West Virginia State Flag that was flown at five different firebases, and hung on
the back wall of a huey med vac chopper.
The
Veterans Memorial Flags that have covered the Caskets of deceased Veterans that
family members have left. An original Ruptured Duck Pin from world war II.
Service ribbons, these items that are left at The NATIONAL POW * MIA * KIA Traveling
Memorial is in memory
for futures that could not be.
Someone left five cards, a royal flush for a poker game that never would be
played.
And the jungle boots, from all those that wore them, with that familiar black
leather and tough green fabric, The M-16 and M1 field cross you will see at the
Memorial with the steel pot and the Camo
covering on it, brings together the process of comradeship and healing that is
seen at the Memorial when we present it at a gathering.