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I’m starting this section with what I call the “Big Five” historic sites of American military history. These places are so important that I firmly believe every American should visit them. At these hallowed places, American citizen-soldiers paid the ultimate price while changing the course of American history. USS Arizona Memorial, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii
The surprise Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor drew America into World War II. The USS Arizona Memorial along Battleship Row adjacent to Ford’s Island in the middle of Pearl Harbor commemorates that attack and pays homage to those Americans who died on December 7, 1944. The memorial’s stark, white structure stands just above water level and is positioned along the center beam of the stricken battleship that lies below. A unique aspect of the site is that the submerged Arizona still remains the final resting place for the 1,177 crewmen who perished when she sank. Peer closely into the clear waters of Pearl Harbor and you can still see oil bubbling up from the stricken vessel’s hull. (Please note that the only public access to the site is through the National Park Service Visitor Center that runs a water shuttle to the memorial. Passage on the shuttle requires tickets that are available at the Visitor Center. Long waits during the peak of the tourist season are not unusual.) Nearby, the powerful USS Missouri, the American battleship on which Allied and Japanese representatives signed the surrender that ended World War II in September 1945, is berthed as a living history museum. At one site, Americans can literally see where World War II began and ended. Awesome!
Omaha Beach, Normandy, France
The center of the Allied invasion sector on D-Day, June 6, 1944, where Allied troops began the liberation of Western Europe from Nazi tyranny. From the overwatch at the American cemetery atop the bluffs above Omaha Beach, one can view the entire Omaha Beach sector and, on a clear day, can see as far as Pointe du Hoc and the landing site on Utah Beach. In addition to the American cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer, I recommend the following sites in Normandy: the Vierville Draw with the National Guard Memorial (the D-Day landing site portrayed in Saving Private Ryan); the Rangers’ landing site at Pointe-du- Hoc; and Ste.-Mere-Eglise, an objective of the 82nd Airborne Division during the overnight parachute drop. The American cemetery (seen in the opening and closing scenes of Saving Private Ryan) is the most moving military cemetery I have ever visited and should be the start point for your tour. Many World War II veterans have told me that the real heroes of their time did not come back from the war. If that is true, the American cemetery in Normandy is a hallowed, perpetual memorial to the greatest heroes of the Greatest Generation.
North Bridge, Concord, Massachusetts
The site where American militiamen fired the “shot heard ‘round the world” and gave birth to the world’s greatest democracy. The skirmish at North Bridge on April 19, 1775, was the opening engagement of the American Revolution. On that day, a 1,000-strong column of British infantry advanced from Boston into the Massachusetts countryside looking for Patriot leaders and hidden war supplies. At North Bridge, on the northern outskirts of Concord, a regiment of American minutemen decided to take on the British Regulars. Linger at the Minuteman Statue near the bridge and ponder the great significance for every American of this site and that fateful day. If you’d like to be transported in time back to Colonial America, walk along the spectacular Battle Road, a section of the old Concord-Boston Road that has been restored to its original condition. When I walked this ground back in 2000, which was the very same road that the British took on their retreat back to Boston, I nearly expected an American minuteman to pop out from behind a tree or a stone wall and take a shot at me. In addition, stop at the village green in Lexington, Massachusetts, where Captain John Parker’s militia company first confronted the British raiders.
Gettysburg Battlefield, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
The turning point of the American Civil War on July 1-3, 1863, that witnessed “the high-water mark” of the Confederacy and the beginning of the ultimate triumph of Union arms. There are so many highlights at Gettysburg that it is impossible to list them all, but here are some of my favorites. Go to General Lee’s magnificent statue on Confederate Avenue to get the best vista of the battlefield from the southern perspective and to gain a good appreciation of the degree of difficulty of Pickett’s Charge. The view from the crest of Little Round Top is remarkable and provides a good panorama of nearly the entire battlefield. Visit the site where Col. Joshua Chamberlain’s 20th Maine defended the southern slopes of Little Round Top on July 2nd. End your battlefield tour at the “copse of trees” on Cemetery Ridge that was the objective of Pickett’s Charge. A simple monument nearby marks the spot where General Armistead fell and the limit of advance of Confederate troops during Pickett’s Charge. Other “must sees” include the monument in Gettysburg National Cemetery where President Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address and the unique Gettysburg Cyclorama housed in the Visitor Center complex.
Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
A distinctive, hallowed memorial to those citizen-soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice during the Vietnam War. Perhaps the most unique aspect of the memorial is the great reverence that all visitors display; you’ll think you are inside a sacred cathedral instead of visiting an outdoor war monument. The shining, black panels buried below ground level contain, in chronological order, the names of the nearly 58,000 Americans who perished in the war. Take the time to study the many artifacts and memorabilia that are still left at the foot of the panels on a nearly daily basis; most tell emotional, interesting stories from the war. National Park Service personnel are available to help visitors locate the names of the lost. A visit to the nearby statue array of three Vietnam soldiers is a must for Vietnam veterans, or anyone who has served in the Army. I believe the statue is one of the very best military sculptures in the entire country, and veterans will be amazed by the statue’s meticulous, accurate details. A short distance away, please visit the Vietnam Women’s Memorial that portrays the service of women in the war. |
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