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For Army veteran Will Rhea of Johnson City, finding his name on a granite monument, was a humbling experience.
The fact that the granite marker could have easily have been a cemetery marker, is not lost on this 30-year ex-soldier.
"You look and see, not only my name, but the names of other people that you know," he says. "You think back and you say to yourself 'how many of these people were not as blessed to come back home? How many were not able to return from different combat zones they were in?
Rhea says, the efforts to build this huge memorial to veterans, covered just about every end of Washington County.. veterans from every 20th century conflict are represented.
"You look in one place and there's a couple of people's names on there from World War Two," Rhea noted. "They more or less set the standard for how we conduct ourselves in war. Then you had the Korean conflict and then the Vietnam conflict. They were not classified as wars, but World Wars Two and One still set the tone for the approach we took to conflicts later on."
The words "Freedom is Not Free" rest high and proud on the archway of the Johnson City-Washington County Veterans Memorial. Visitors like these from the Langston Alumni Group can see tributes to all veterans who have served honorably in the Armed Forces of the United States since World War I. The memorial was dedicated on 11-11-11 at precisely 11 A-M. The Johnson City-Washington County Veterans' Memorial Foundation, a collection of veterans, local business, civic and government leaders established the governing board for maintaining the memorial, including the adding of additional names, when it becomes necessary.
"Many of them did not know about the monument."
The Langston alumni on the tour, were awe-struck by the majestry of the monuments in the park.
"That's what happens when you are in the military," he says. "You are a member of a group of military people. You are not separate. That's what makes it work. Unlike these congressmen that we have in Washington that are doing everything they can to divide the country, when you are in uniform, you are there in combination with everybody else. You're all UNITED in what your mission is."
Rhea says he appreciates the way the organizers designed the memorial. In addition to the names of military members who returned home, one area contains the names of veterans killed in action (KIA), missing in action (MIA) and prisoners of war (POW).
"The way it is laid out, with prisoners of war set up in one special area, the ones killed in action in another separate area, and all the other categories are set up.. it's done in a way that is easy to understand. It was well thought out. The appearance is, the memorial wasn't something that was just thrown together. The memorial is a symbol of what it takes for us to have the freedoms that we have. Many other countries don't have those same freedoms. Many of the countries these military members were in, did not have those freedoms, and the only reason we were there was because of some conflict. If people did not know what was happening in those countries, it is understandable because of the number of names on the Veterans Wall."
The granite panels also create conversation. That was evident when the Langston alumni visited. Rhea says he hopes the memorial will compel young people to research their roots.
"When they see the names of relatives they have only heard about, they think 'well, I didn't know exactly what Grandpa did in the war,' he says. "This memorial should make them go through personal items and read books on the conflict and what role their relative had in it, especially if that family member did not return home. Keep in mind.. a number of American military personnel that fought in World War Two are not buried in this country. They are buried overseas. But now, their relatives have something here that they can go and see, and the memory of that person can be honored here at home."
After he found his own name, Rhea says, he also noticed the Coleman's, both father and son. He says the Veterans Memorial is a reverent place, but not one that provokes sadness. He says, pride is the mainstay of the memorial.
"You just get this feeling that rolls up in your stomach," he says. "You look and you say, 'I'm here, as part of Johnson City, Washington County, Tennessee USA, and I did my part.' I placed my boots, I went and did what my country asked of me. The things we did were necessary. I look at how Johnson City has grown since I first went overseas, and I realize that growth could not have happened, unless we did what we had to do."
"It means a whole lot."
FROM HERE, THE LANGSTON ALUMNI CONTINUED ON TO THE VETERANS HOME, AND THEN ETSU
