thedrifter
07-17-09, 10:05 AM
Posted on Fri, Jul. 17, 2009
Veterans park houses a variety of memorials
BY BECCY TANNER
The Wichita Eagle
First came the park, established in 1976 as a local celebration of the nation's bicentennial.
The John S. Stevens Veterans Memorial Park at Second and Greenway was named after then-City Commissioner Stevens, a World War II veteran. The 3.5-acre park along the Arkansas River was a joint project between the city of Wichita, Urban Renewal Agency and several veterans groups.
Next came a flag plaza, dedicated to "serve as a reminder of Wichitans' efforts and sacrifices in their country's military service," according to The Wichita Eagle on Nov. 12, 1977, after the dedication.
In the three decades since, other memorials have been independently constructed by veterans groups and other organizations.
These memorials were dedicated in the mid-1990s:
* U.S. Navy Submarine Service Memorial. Sponsored by the U.S. Submarine Veterans of World War II, Kansas Chapter.
* Vietnam War memorial, honoring Sedgwick County men killed or missing in Vietnam. Sponsored by the Homefront Memorial Committee.
* Kansas Korean War Veterans Memorial, dedicated by the Kansas Korean War Veterans as a tribute to veterans of all U.S. military branches who served in the Korean War.
* U.S. Merchant Marine Veterans and U.S. Navy Armed Guard Memorial, honoring crews and ships who carried the troops, oil, gas, ammunition, bombs and other necessities to the front lines.
* Pearl Harbor Memorial, sponsored by the Pearl Harbor Survivors Association.
* USS Dorado Memorial, honoring 52 men who lost their lives on Oct. 12, 1943, when the submarine vanished while sailing from New London, Conn., to Panama.
* U.S. Marine Corps Veterans Memorial, sponsored by the Air Capital Detachment of the U.S. Marine Corps League.
* U.S. Navy Hospital Corps Memorial, honoring the Fleet Marine Force corpsmen — Navy medic personnel who accompany Marines into battle.
These memorials have been dedicated since 2000:
* POW-MIA Memorial.
* Gold Star Families and Mothers Memorial, honoring the mothers, wives, families and friends of veterans who died in service.
* Military Order of the Purple Heart, honoring soldiers wounded or killed in action.
* USS Wichita Memorial, honoring the heavy cruiser of the United States Navy, named for the city of Wichita.
The heavy cruiser was commissioned Feb. 16, 1939, and decommissioned in 1947. It was awarded 13 battle stars for its service. After the atomic bomb was dropped at Nagasaki, the USS Wichita was sent to Japan to help liberate prisoners of war.
Ellie
Veterans park houses a variety of memorials
BY BECCY TANNER
The Wichita Eagle
First came the park, established in 1976 as a local celebration of the nation's bicentennial.
The John S. Stevens Veterans Memorial Park at Second and Greenway was named after then-City Commissioner Stevens, a World War II veteran. The 3.5-acre park along the Arkansas River was a joint project between the city of Wichita, Urban Renewal Agency and several veterans groups.
Next came a flag plaza, dedicated to "serve as a reminder of Wichitans' efforts and sacrifices in their country's military service," according to The Wichita Eagle on Nov. 12, 1977, after the dedication.
In the three decades since, other memorials have been independently constructed by veterans groups and other organizations.
These memorials were dedicated in the mid-1990s:
* U.S. Navy Submarine Service Memorial. Sponsored by the U.S. Submarine Veterans of World War II, Kansas Chapter.
* Vietnam War memorial, honoring Sedgwick County men killed or missing in Vietnam. Sponsored by the Homefront Memorial Committee.
* Kansas Korean War Veterans Memorial, dedicated by the Kansas Korean War Veterans as a tribute to veterans of all U.S. military branches who served in the Korean War.
* U.S. Merchant Marine Veterans and U.S. Navy Armed Guard Memorial, honoring crews and ships who carried the troops, oil, gas, ammunition, bombs and other necessities to the front lines.
* Pearl Harbor Memorial, sponsored by the Pearl Harbor Survivors Association.
* USS Dorado Memorial, honoring 52 men who lost their lives on Oct. 12, 1943, when the submarine vanished while sailing from New London, Conn., to Panama.
* U.S. Marine Corps Veterans Memorial, sponsored by the Air Capital Detachment of the U.S. Marine Corps League.
* U.S. Navy Hospital Corps Memorial, honoring the Fleet Marine Force corpsmen — Navy medic personnel who accompany Marines into battle.
These memorials have been dedicated since 2000:
* POW-MIA Memorial.
* Gold Star Families and Mothers Memorial, honoring the mothers, wives, families and friends of veterans who died in service.
* Military Order of the Purple Heart, honoring soldiers wounded or killed in action.
* USS Wichita Memorial, honoring the heavy cruiser of the United States Navy, named for the city of Wichita.
The heavy cruiser was commissioned Feb. 16, 1939, and decommissioned in 1947. It was awarded 13 battle stars for its service. After the atomic bomb was dropped at Nagasaki, the USS Wichita was sent to Japan to help liberate prisoners of war.
Ellie