One of my former homes, Corpus Christi, Texas, has a memorial honoring 199 Nueces County residents who died in the Korean War or the Vietnam War. It is located on the grounds of the current county courthouse. It was originally erected by the Corpus Christi chapter of the American Gold Star Mothers, Inc., in 1976, but was not dedicated until Mother's Day, 1978, to allow for the completion of the new courthouse.
The memorial was re-dedicated in September 2005 after a $4,800 restoration.1 The 3,000-plus letters in the names "had been treated with Lithochrome, a dye capable of penetrating granite. Over time, the names faded, blending into the background and making them hard to read," according to an August 15, 2005, article in the Corpus Christi Caller-Times.2 Three months later, the memorial was vandalized with graffiti. Chemicals and steam were used to remove the graffiti, but the names had to be repainted and a sealant applied on them "to prevent graffiti from ruining the monument again."3 However, the memorial appears to have suffered further damage or needed cleaning by the time these July 2007 photographs were taken, as some names are difficult to read.
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| Rededication in 2005 [7 July 2007; cropped] / Terry Ross / CC BY-SA 2.0 |
The inscription on the center panel reads as follows:
In loving memory of those men of Nueces County, Texas, who gave their lives for their country in the Korea and Vietnam conflicts.
Re-dedicated 9-12-2005 by David Chappell, USAF, Ret. * Abel A. Chapa, CVSO
Erected by American Gold Star Mothers, Inc., Corpus Christi Chapter, in 1976.
Following are transcriptions of the 199 names on the four other panels:
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Ables, James L.
Adams, James C.
Aguirre, Fidel Jr.
Alaniz, Paul G. Jr.
Alvarez, Ignacio Jr.
Amador, Ernest B.
Amador, Severiano
Angermiller, James A.
Auten, Norman D.
Ayala, Bernardo R.
Baker, Willy S.
Barnes, Merrill
Beardsley, William M.
Beatty, William T.
Blakey, Robert T.
Blunt, Samuel
Bowers, James E.
Boyd, Thomas M. III
Bradshaw, Faybert R.
Brooks, James E.
Browne, James G.
Browne, Robert G.
Buitron, Carlos S.
Caballero, David J.
Campbell, Ronald S.
Cantu, Raymond D.
Carr, George D.
Castanon, Alfredo
Castillo, Pablo A.
Cavazos, Reynaldo
Cavin, Douglas J.
Chavez, Ruben G.
Chuter, John D.
Coalston, Echol W. Jr.
Conolly, Sidney M. Jr.
Cortez, Jose G.
Davila, Guillermo Jr.
Davila, Jose
Davis, Kenneth A.*
Day, Joe B.
Deleon, Mario P.*
Dickey, Douglas P.*
Ducote, Lonnie J. Jr.*
Dulak, Raymond R. Jr. *
Durham, George B.*
Eaglin, John H.*
Elizondo, David*
Esparza, Israel *
Everett, Arnado
* Damage to monument makes these names difficult to read. Some names were transcribed from a December 2005 photo.
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Names left slab [7 July 2007; cropped to right half of slab]
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Names on the right side of the left-hand panel:
Eyring, Kenneth R.
Ferrell, E. M.
Flores, Jesus C.
Flores, Raul F.
Fortner, Carv D.
Franco, Noe
Galindo, Guadalupe
Garcia, Gilberto
Garcia, Guadalupe
Garcia, Miguel Jr.
Garcia, Pedro
Garcia, Arnoldo
Garcia, Raynaldo C.
Garza, Alberto B.
Garza, Ben III
Garza, Francisco
Garza, Frank
Garza, Marcello C. Jr.
Garza, Margarito
Garza, Pedro
Garza, Ruben V.
Gauna*, Daniel Jr.
Godinez,* Daniel
Gonzales, Benito R.
Gonzales, Guadalupe
Gonzales, Jesus
Gonzales, Manuel E.
Greathouse*, Julius Jr.
Grim*, Kenneth E.
Guerra, George Jr.
Guerrero, Richard Jr.
Gutierrez, Adolfo M.
Hammons, James L.
Haskett, George N.
Hernandez, Manuel Jr.
Hernandez, Rolando
Hibrich, Barry W.
Hobbs, Gary L.
Holtzclaw, John M.
Horton, Bill
Hoskins, Dale O.
Huth, Phillip N. II
Jennings*, William A. III
Johns*, Ronald E.*
Johnson, Howard H. Jr.
Jurecko*, Daniel E.
Kearns, James
Kellum, Norman W.
Kettrick, William C.
* Damage to monument makes these names difficult to read. Some names were transcribed from a December 2005 photo.
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| Names right slab [7 July 2007; cropped to left half of slab] / Terry Ross / CC BY-SA 2.0 |
Names on the left side of the right-hand panel:
Rodriguez, Bonifacio P.
Krussow, Donald J.
Lamas, Raul R.
Laurel, Desiderio C. Jr.
Ledesma, Incarnacion
Leos, Leonardo
Logan, Francis M. III
Lynch, Carl D.
McCartney, Ken A.
McDonald, Jerry C.
McGarvey, Charles E.
McKeown, John M.
Maeckel, Eugene A.
Makintaya, Alejandro
Mendez, Roberto
Meerdink, George Jr.
Mindach, William R.
Moneachi, David K.
Mora, Robert C.
Moreno, Jesus Jr.
Neely, James E.
Niedecken, William C.
Newcity, Theodore C. Jr.
Ochoa, Robert
Ojeda, Joe B.
Ortiz, Jose A.
Ownes, Frank Jr.
Padilla, Gilberto
Parker, Maxin C.
Patino, Roberto L.
Pena, Fernando S.
Pena, Manuel J.
Perez, Adolfo M.
Perez, Benito
Perez, Espiridion
Perez, Rodolfo
Phillips, Jerry
Poston, Willam T.
Price, Coy W.
Pritchett, Willie G.
Queen, Cary P.
Ramos, Jose Jr.
Raper, Alvin L.
Reyna, Samuel
Riley, Glenn A.
Roberson, Robert S. Jr.
Rocha, Ruben L.
Rodriguez, Juan A.
Rodriguez, Roberto P.
Ronje, Joe L.
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| Names right slab [7 July 2007; cropped to right half of slab] / Terry Ross / CC BY-SA 2.0 |
Ruiz, Leopoldo L.
Patterson, Joe N. Jr.
Ruiz, Alto
Ruiz, Manuel R.
Russell, John E.
Rylander, Robert J.
Saenz, Alfredo J.
Salazar, Joe Jr.
Salazar, Jose L.
Samford, Jesse L.
Sanders, Alan E.
Satterwhite, Dwight K.
Scalljan, Clinton
Simmons, Nolan L.
Simpson, Lloyde H.
Sims, John C. Jr.
Sims, Kirk W.
Singer, Kenneth E.
Smith, Linton C.
Solis, Antonio A.
Stoddard, Clarence W. Jr.
Stroud, Sanders K. II
Stroud, Roger L.
Taylor, Robert A.
Terry, Robert I. III
Thomas, Darwin J.
Thompson, Billy
Thornton, Kenneth R.
Till, Ralph G.
Trejo, Jose M.
Trevino, Faustino A.
Trammell, James
Vaught, Michael E.
Veit, Freddie J.
Vergara, Eliseo C.
Garza, Richard C.
Vetters, Scott
Vilano, Evaristo
Villarreal, Jesus Jr.
Waid, Billy G.
Weaver, Charles E.
Welborn, Joe T.
Whaley, Henry N. Jr.
Williams, Gayle E.
Williams, Gerald D.
Williams, Howard C. Jr.
Wokaty, Eugene A.
Wranosky, Robert W.
Yanez, Jesus Jr.
York, Emmett L. Jr.
Zanga, Peter A.
This post was done in honor of the upcoming Veterans Day for The Honor Roll Project begun by Heather Wilkinson Rojo of Nutfield Genealogy.
Sources:
1 Chirinos, Fanny S.. "Local veteran helps restore war memorial - The former master sergeant in Air Force donates $4,800," Corpus Christi Caller-Times (TX), August 30, 2005: B2, accessed September 17, 2017, http://infoweb.newsbank.com/resources/doc/nb/news/10C598C7AA50B7C8?p=WORLDNEWS.
2 Chirinos, Fanny S.. "Monument may get repairs - Names of residents killed in wars faded," Corpus Christi Caller-Times (TX), August 15, 2005: B2, accessed September 17, 2017, http://infoweb.newsbank.com/resources/doc/nb/news/10C0A3FC46EC4338?p=WORLDNEWS.
3Saugier, Mari. "Bond raised for suspect in monument damage," Corpus Christi Caller-Times (TX), December 17, 2005: B2, accessed September 17, 2017, http://infoweb.newsbank.com/resources/doc/nb/news/10E9D0CD9B6B5538?p=WORLDNEWS.
© Amanda Pape - 2017 - click here to e-mail me.
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