The Liberty Walk Outside Walking Museum

The Liberty Walk Outside Walking Museum Liberty Walk The Liberty Walk will be a one-of-a-kind, outside, walking museum. It will honor veterans, educate school children and preserve history.

It will bring tourism to Pacific by offering a unique field trip to students from school districts throughout Missouri where they can learn in the Marybeth Hoven outdoor classroom. It can be a destination for Boy Scouts of America Jamborees, Military reenactments, Veterans Day gatherings. There are unlimited possibilities. Liberty Walk will be a 7/8 mile walk consisting of 25 granite exhibits, spa

ced 184’ apart, honoring great moments in American military history. Each solar illuminated plaque will have a picture defining that particular moment in time, along with a paragraph describing the heroism of our soldiers. Each exhibit will be placed on an elevated stand at a height accessible by children and wheelchair-bound visitors. In addition to the granite exhibits, there will be an interactive Wall of Honor. This wall will be used by Pacific Soccer Association and local children to sharpen their soccer skills. Every bounce off this wall will be dedicated to a soldier who never got the opportunity to play ball with their child.

09/26/2022

The Normandy American Cemetery. The site covers 172.5 acres and contains 9,386 graves. Sacred ground in Colleville-sur-Mer, overlooking Omaha Beach in Normandy, France. On the wall of the missing 1,557 names are inscribed. Always remember what happened here. Normandy American Cemetery

09/22/2022

Marines with three M23 and one 24 training guns. The gigantic fake weapons were used to help the soldier better understand the parts and the mechanics of a weapon. Camp Pendleton, California. October 1956.

09/21/2022

🇺🇲WWII uncovered: Rocky Marciano of the 150th Combat Engineers: World Heavyweight Boxing Champion

Rocco Francis Marchegiano, the son of Italian immigrants, was born and raised in Brockton Massachusetts. Rocco, a natural athlete, dropped out of high school in the 10th grade to help support his family. Rocco would go on to be professionally known as Rocky Marciano - the only heavyweight professional boxer to have finished his career undefeated.

According to the Department of Defense: "On March 4, 1943, at the age of 20, Rocky enlisted the Army in Boston, Massachusetts and was sent overseas to Europe. Marciano was assigned to the 150th Combat Engineers and stationed in Swansea, Wales where he helped ferry supplies across the English Channel to Normandy. The 150th went on to receive service stars for Normandy, North France, Rheinland, Ardennes-Alsace and Central Europe."

"Marciano first took up boxing in the service, reportedly as a way to get out of kitchen duty. While awaiting discharge, Marciano, representing the Army, won the 1946 Amateur Armed Forces boxing tournament. After the war ended, he completed his service in March 1946 at Fort Lewis, Washington where he received an honorable discharge from the Army with the rank of Private First Class. Rocky returned home to Brockton, Massachusetts and continued to box as an amateur" -US Department of Defense

"On September 23, 1952, Marciano took on the World Heavyweight Champion Joe Walcott in Philadelphia. In round 13 Marciano knocked out Walcott to become the new Heavyweight Champion. Rocky was 29 years old. The two would meet again the following year with Marciano ending the match in the first round."

"Rocky Marciano would go on to dominate the Heavyweight Division. On May 16, 1955, in San Francisco, Marciano went up against Don Cockell from the United Kingdom, who was also the boxing champion of Europe. Marciano knocked him out in round 9."

"On April 27, 1956, Marciano announced his retirement at age 32, finishing his career at 49-0."

On August 31, 1969, Rocky was a passenger in a private plane that crashed due to bad weather at a private airfield near Newton, Iowa. There were no survivors. Rocky Marciano was 45 years old at the time of his passing. He would have turned 46 years old on September 1.

Private First Class Rocky Marciano lies in rest at Forest Lawn Memorial Cemetery in Fort Lauderdale Florida. Lest We Forget



WWII uncovered ©️ original description and photo sourced by US Department of Defense News (March 16, 2021) Ancestry Database and photographer Stanley Weston Getty Images (Fair Use Photo)

09/21/2022

The Allied landing at Normandy in June 1944 was the most ambitious and massive amphibious invasion ever staged. Hundreds of thousands of men from

09/19/2022

Amelia Earhart giving a flying lesson, 1933.

09/18/2022

Tiger Stadium, Detroit, September 17, 1961 - Yankees slugger Roger Maris gets congratulations from Mickey Mantle after hitting a two-run home run in 12th inning to give New York Yankees a 6-4 lead over Detroit Tigers. Yanks would hold on to win giving them a 10.5 game lead over the Tigers with 11 games left in the season.

More importantly it's also Maris 58th home run of the season putting him just two home runs away from Babe Ruth's 60 dingers in 1927. He would of course break that record on the last game of the season against the Boston Red Sox.

44,219 were at the game that took three hours and 46 minutes to play.

- Ron A. Bolton

09/17/2022

Upon being called up to the St. Louis Cardinals in September of 1941, Stan Musial gave fans a taste of what he’d do for them in future years. He hit a whopping .426 that September. He’d spend another 21 years as a Cardinal, finishing with a career .331 batting average. There was never a more consistent hitter than Stan “The Man.” Musial collected 1,815 of his hits at home and 1,815 on the road.

09/17/2022

🇺🇲 WWII uncovered: POW/MIA Recognition Day: Louis Zamperini: The Ultimate Survivor of World War II

"For forty-seven days Louis Zamperini drifted idly in the Pacific Ocean. Armed with a few small tins of drinking water, a flare gun, some fishing line, and a couple of Hershey D-Ration candy bars, Zamperini and two other soldiers struggled to stay alive. Their struggle was exacerbated by vicious sharks, blistering heat, treacherous swells, and Japanese fighter pilots. For most people, this experience would undoubtedly be the most challenging of their lives. For Zamperini, it was not even the most difficult of the war." - US National Archives December 24, 2014

Louis Zamperini, was the son of first generation Italian immigrants born on January 26, 1917 in Olean New York. When Louis was a toddler the Zamperini family relocated to Torrance, California. Growing up in Torrance, Louis was noted for a lot of things and running was one of them.

Zamperini became known as the "Torrance Tornado" - taking after his older brother Pete who was already a track star Louis began to break records for long distance running. His talent awarded him a scholarship to the University of Southern California. At the age of 19 years old he qualified for the 1936 Olympics held in Berlin Germany. He would compete in the 5000 meter race and place 8th overall but his impressive finish garnished the attention of many spectators.

After the Olympics, Zamperini returned to USC where in 1938, he set a national collegiate mile record that stood for 15 years.

In September of 1941, Louis Zamperini enlisted in the United States Army Air Forces serving as a bombardier on the B-24 Liberator "Super Man" with the 372nd Bomb Squadron.

After flying several missions, on May 27, 1943 his aircraft went down due to mechanical failure. Stranded for 47 days in the Pacific Ocean, Zamperini and the only other surviving crew member ,Pilot Russ Philips, were captured by the Japanese Navy after their raft reached the Marshall Islands.

According to the Veterans Administration: "The then-75 pounds Zamperini was held for six weeks on Kwajalein Atoll and transferred to multiple interrogation centers and Prisoner of War camps. For two long years he suffered psychological and physical abuse at the hands of cruel prison guards and the sadistic Sgt. Mutsuhiro “The Bird” Watanabe. He was declared dead to his parents in a June 1943 telegram. Meanwhile, the former track star, Watanabe’s “number one prisoner,” was spared from ex*****on but served as a propaganda tool. When he refused to comply after being forced to make radio broadcasts at the Ofuna interrogation center, he was immediately sent back to Watanabe on the mainland and subjected to more abuse."

"Liberation finally took place in September 1945. After years of malnourishment and torture, Zamperini could not be a runner anymore. After finding solace in Christianity at a Billy Graham sermon, however, he returned to Japan as a missionary in 1950 and forgave his former captors imprisoned at Sugamo. Watanabe, one of the top 40 war criminals in Japan sought by America, refused to meet him. Zamperini later travelled across the US as an inspirational speaker and established the Victory Boys Camp, a wilderness camp for troubled youths. Fifety years after breaking the National High School mile record, Zamperini made a triumphant return to the Los Angeles Coliseum to carry the Olympic torch in 1984. In 1988, he ran a leg of the Olympic torch relay at the Nagano winter games."

"Zamperini recounts his story in two autobiographies, both titled Devil at My Heels, published in 1956 and 2003. His story was also documented in Laura Hillenbrand’s biography Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption and the 2014 film Unbroken directed by Angelina Jolie. The University of Southern California dedicated the Louis Zamperini Plaza in honor of the “Torrance Tornado.”"(VAntage Point November 14, 2019)

Captain Louis Silvie Zamperini passed away on July 2, 2014 at the age of 97 years old. Thank you Louis for a lifetime of service to a grateful Nation. You over came adversity and will be remembered as being 'Unbreakable." Lest We Forget.



WWII uncovered©️ Original description and photos sourced by the US National Archive Louis Zamperini: The Story of a True American Hero publication date December 24, 2014, VAntage Point November 14, 2019, Ancestry Database (Fair Use Photos)

09/16/2022

🇺🇲Vietnam War Stories: Lieutenant General Harold Gregory Moore Jr

Harold Gregory Moore Jr. was a United States Army Major General and Distinguished Service Cross Honoree. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, the U.S. military's second-highest decoration for valor, and was the first of his West Point class to be promoted to brigadier general, major general, and lieutenant general.

⭐Moore's Distinguished Service Cross citation reads as follows:

The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 9, 1918 (amended by act of July 25, 1963), takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Service Cross to Colonel (Infantry), [then Lieutenant Colonel] Harold Gregory Moore, Jr. (ASN: 0-27678), United States Army, for extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations against an armed hostile force in the Republic of Vietnam. During the period 14 through 16 November 1965, Colonel Moore, Commanding Officer, 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry, 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile), was participating with his unit in a vital search and destroy operation in the la Drang Valley, Republic of Vietnam. Upon entering the landing zone with the first rifle company, Colonel Moore personally commenced the fire-fight to gain control of the zone by placing accurate fire upon the Viet Cong from an exposed position in his hovering helicopter. Throughout the initial assault phase, Colonel Moore repeatedly exposed himself to intense hostile fire to insure the proper and expedient deployment of friendly troops.

By his constant movement and repeated exposure to this insurgent fire, Colonel Moore, with complete disregard for his own personal safety, set the standard for his combat troops by a courageous display of "leadership by example" which characterized all his actions throughout the long and deadly battle. Inspired by his constant presence and active participation against the overwhelming insurgent hordes, the friendly forces solidified their perimeter defenses and repulsed numerous Viet Cong assaults.

On 15 November 1965, the embattled battalion was again attacked by a three-pronged insurgent assault aimed at surrounding and destroying the friendly forces in one great advance. With great skill and foresight, Colonel Moore moved from position to position, directing accurate fire and giving moral support to the defending forces. By his successful predictions of insurgent attack plans, he was able to thwart all their efforts by directing barrages of small arms, mortar, and artillery fire in conjunction with devastating air strikes against Viet Cong positions and attack zones. As the grueling battle continued into the third day, another large Viet Cong strike was repulsed through Colonel Moore's ability to shift men and firepower at a moment's notice against the savage, last-ditch efforts of the insurgents to break through the friendly positions. Colonel Moore's battalion, inspired by his superb leadership, combat participation, and moral support, finally decimate the well-trained and numerically superior Viet Cong force so decidedly that they withdrew in defeat, leaving over 800 of their dead on the battlefield, and resulting in a great victory for the 1st Battalion. Colonel Moore's extraordinary heroism and gallantry in action were in keeping with the highest tradition of the United States Army and reflect great credit upon himself and the military service.

Lieutenant General Harold Gregory Moore Jr passed away on February 10, 2017 at the age of 94 years old. He lies in rest at Fort Benning Post Cemetery. Lest We Forget.



Original description and photos sourced by US Army Center of Military History and Ancestry Database

09/15/2022

🇺🇲WWII uncovered: Heroes of the Battle of Iwo Jima: Corporal Ira Hayes

Ira Hamilton Hayes, of Bapchule Arizona, filled out his draft card on June 30, 1942 with full intentions of becoming a US Marine. He was 19 years old. On August 26, 1942 Ira formally enlisted with the US Marine Corps and completed basic training at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot in San Diego.

Hayes completed Parachute Training School at Camp Gillespie in San Diego and he was promoted to Private First Class. On December 2, 1943 Ira was assigned to Company B, 3d Parachute Battalion, Divisional Special Troops, 3d Marine Division, at Camp Elliott, California, with which he sailed for Noumea, New Caledonia, on March 14. The 3rd parachute battalion was redesignated as Company K, 3rd Parachute Battalion, 1st Marine Parachute Regiment. On December 4, Hayes landed with Company K, and served as a BAR man during battle at Bougainville. After the 1st Parachute Regiment was disbanded Hayes was assigned to Company E, 2nd Battalion, 28th Marine Regiment of the newly activated 5th Marine Division at Camp Pendleton. On February 19, 1945 Hayes arrived on Iwo Jima and remained until March 26th. Ira Hayes was one of five Marines remaining from his platoon of 45 men, including their corpsmen at the time of his departure.

According to the Veterans Administration: "In November 1954, the US Marine Corps War Memorial was unveiled at a dedication ceremony in Washington, D.C. President Dwight Eisenhower praised the Pima Marine as “a national war hero.” Just 10 weeks later, on January 24, 1955 Ira Hayes died near his home in Sacaton, Arizona. Ira was 32 years old at the time of his passing." (VAntage Point Blog November 21, 2019)

Corporal Ira Hayes lies in rest at Arlington National Cemetery. Lest We Forget.



WWII uncovered ©️ original description and photo sourced by USMC Archive, Veterans Administration Blog VAntage Point and Ancestry Database

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