Military memorials

Tomorrow, the remembrances commence. The flags unfurl. Yesterday's veterans become the subjects of today's memorials. In Clark County, several places pay tribute to the men and women who gave their lives for the Stars and Stripes.

Each branch of the military is saluted in some cases, and different war eras are represented. Some county monuments simply contain elaborate symbols or illustrations of the branch in question, while others bear the names of the deceased. Some even bear the names of the living.

While Washington, D.C., may furnish many more venues for the celebration of Memorial Day, the Las Vegas Valley can provide its share. And even though none of the inanimate monuments utter a word, each one manages to speak volumes to all who may visit it.

The Southern Nevada

Veterans Memorial Cemetery

Located in Boulder City, this 80-acre cemetery contains about 14,000 caskets and cremation burials. Jack Porrino, cemetery superintendent, explained the main difference between his cemetery and a standard facility is "you've had to earn your way in here."

Although rows and rows of headstones and lawn can be seen in every direction, one small area outside the administration building has "special symbolism," Porrino said. It features a fountain surrounded by about two dozen military memorials, and he refers to it as the "monument section."

Most of them are about waist-high, and are composed of polished marble, granite, metal or mortar. Each monument's inscription aims to capture the spirit of the uniform it honors.

"They all have something unique. Everyone is represented out there, including the Women Airforce Service Pilots, who weren't recognized in the early days after World War II. Now they are," said Porrino, who expects a large turnout tomorrow for the dedication of the WASP monument, in addition to the many visitors who pay their respects on Memorial Day.

The U.S.S. Corvina, a submarine that was torpedoed by the Japanese during World War II, has its own monument, while others honor the Navy Seabees, American Merchant Seamen and Army Special Forces. Another recognizes Jewish veterans.

"When you look at them, they all symbolize a special thing -- all of them. And if you look at them altogether, it looks like all the branches work as a team," Porrino said.

"It's a special thing for all veterans. When people read the inscriptions on them, they're touched by what they read. To me, this is a veterans cemetery and there is a lot of symbolism here."

The cemetery opened 1990, and additions to the monument section have been "steady," according to Porrino. All were donated to the facility, as were the funds to build the central fountain and the chapel, which features more names of deceased veterans inscribed into the "Walk of Life" in the courtyard outside the entrance. On the chapel itself is a "Wall of Life."

The Gobel/Lowden Veterans

Center and Museum

For the past three years, this 12,000-square-foot, two-story building of artifacts, exhibits and wartime lore has been educating and entertaining visitors. About 2,000 people visit every month, according to Ed Gobel, the facility's chief executive officer.

At its entry is a room full of uniforms from many eras displayed behind a glass framework. Delving farther into the museum reveals rooms devoted to different eras or personnel.

When Gobel assembled the Vietnam Room, Korean Room and Women Veterans Room, he kept a specific approach in mind, one that he said is the mantra of the museum: No veteran is better than another.

"A lot of people who go through the museum who may have had relatives who died during those conflicts often state that they can actually `hear' the veterans and the sounds of war," Gobel, a Vietnam vet, said.

The building, located at 3333 Cambridge St. off Desert Inn Road, is owned by Paul Lowden, a local architect. He leased it to the county, which used it as a community center for more than six years until Gobel opened the museum on May 28, 2000.

Since then, visitors ranging from school kids to World War II veterans have toured the museum. Gobel said he frequently welcomes people from as far away as Japan, Australia and the United Kingdom.

"We think it's very educational, and we've had a lot of great cooperation from the school district," he said. "We even have veterans from all the wars who come down and visit every week."

Gobel takes pride in the fact that his is the first veterans center museum in Nevada.

"The museum offers a place where you can bring your kids, grandkids and great-grandkids," he said. "Everything in it is unique, because all the items were donated by a veteran who had some connection to Nevada."

The museum is situated in a low-rent area, near the Las Vegas Convention Center, but Gobel claims the location is an advantage, saying that nearby residents actually "protect" the museum. The proximity of the convention center is another plus, since many visitors are convention attendees.

Depending on the volume of donations, Gobel plans to install an elevator within the next two months to make the second floor accessible to handicapped individuals. Tomorrow, he plans to honor the families who lost loved ones in the Middle East, and he hopes to unveil a new exhibit as well: Operation Iraqi Freedom.

"One of our mission statements is to ensure that no veteran that is ever buried in the cemetery dies forgotten, and that they live on forever within the walls of the museum," Gobel said.

The city of Henderson

Veterans Memorial Wall

The dedication ceremony took place on Nov. 11, 1994 in front of the Henderson Convention Center, when former Basic High School government teacher Paul Ruth read off all 1,350 veterans names that were being etched into the wall, located on Water Street.

Rhea Johnson, former Nevada state president of American War Mothers and keeper of the Memorial Wall names, estimates there are more than 1,500 people immortalized in the four polished stone monuments.

One section of it honors Henderson Vietnam veterans, living or dead, while another is reserved for all deceased war veterans who resided in Henderson before 1980.

Every Veterans Day more names are added to the wall. Johnson has them all on computer disk, and continues to collect more.

Each panel measures about seven feet high by 10 feet wide, and one bears a quote from Aristotle: "We make war that we can live in peace."

"It's a tribute to those who are gone," Johnson said. "Everyone thinks it's really nice. Most of them have told me they were really glad something was done, and they're really happy that something is here. I haven't had any negative response to it, except from people who can't be on it."

Johnson said the wall will be moved to City Hall's new plaza when the expansion of that building is completed.

The Thunderbird Memorial

in North Las Vegas

The names and photos of four U.S. Air Force Thunderbird pilots can be seen prominently on the "backrest" portion of this bench-like monument. The quartet died in the "Diamond Crash" which occurred on Jan. 18, 1982 over Range 65 in the Nevada desert.

More names were added on the "seat" of this stone mortar landmark, which was dedicated exactly one year after the crash.

Retired North Las Vegas constable Lou Tabat, 80, himself a 20-year Air Force veteran, took one year to construct the landmark, and decided the North Las Vegas police station on Bruce Street would be an ideal spot for it.

"I was stationed at Nellis for nine years as a Thunderbird maintenance sergeant," Tabat said.

"I felt these pilots needed some recognition, and I felt they needed a memorial. I took upon myself to build with some people who were willing to help me."

Behind the memorial, painted on the wall of the police station, is an elaborate illustration of the T-38 Talon, the plane used by the Thunderbirds during the time of the crash.LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL AND SUN ¥ SUNDAY, MAY 25, 2003

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