CLEVELAND (NNS) -- Sailors paid homage to their brothers-in-arms with a solemn visit to the Cuyahoga Country Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument in downtown Cleveland Aug. 31.
The 116-year-old monument commemorates all local military personnel who served in the American Civil War.
The monument features a towering 125-foot column surrounded at its base by a memorial room and esplanade. The newly-rennovated memorial room walls are adorned with rough finished, light gray granite and light brown Amherst sandstone. Carved into the elegant granite: all the names of local service members who served during that era.
The Sailors' visit coincided with Cleveland Navy Week, one of 19 Navy Weeks planned across America this year. Navy Weeks are designed to show Americans the investment they have made in their Navy and increase awareness in cities that do not have a significant Navy presence.
Cleveland Navy Week guest of honor, Rear Adm. Julius S. Caesar, vice director, Joint Concept Development & Experimentation U.S. Joint Forces Command, was given a personal tour of the monument by Timothy Leslie, a retired Navy Submariner who now works at the Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument. Caesar was given an in-depth history on how the monument came to be, and the symbolism of various facets of the building's design.
Additionally, Navy Sailors from the USS Ohio (SSGN 726)and USS Cleveland (LPD 7) explored the monument and were given a private tour of the tunnels running beneath the monument.
USS Cleveland Command Master Chief Haasan Lamont was awed by what he saw. "I think this is amazing. I never expected to see anything like this."
Machinist's Mate 2nd Class (SS) Aaron Hammersmith from USS Ohio studied the names etched into the wall, scanning through the more than 9,000 names of Sailors and Soldiers who had fought 150 years ago.
"I've met a lot of great people this week in Cleveland," said Hammersmith, who hails from nearby Toledo, Ohio. "I had no idea that this Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument even existed. I think it's great. Even after 116 years, the monument still looks impressive."
The memorial room features four bronze relief sculptures depicting various scenes: Women's Soldiers' and Sailors' Aid Society, the beginning of the war in Ohio, emancipation of slaves, as well as the end of the war at City Point, Va., as well as busts of Gen. James Barnett and architect/sculptor Levi T. Scofield.
Outside, four bronze statues surrounding the column depict battle scenes of Navy, artillery, infantry and cavalry military men in action.
Timothy Daley, executive director of the monument, expressed delight in being able to show off the monument after its $2 million rennovation.
"We're very happy to bring the active members of the Armed Forces in to showcase their history," said Daley. "The Navy was a major part of the Civil War. It's just a great opportunity for us to share our history during Navy Week here in Cleveland."
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment