by Christy Solo – Editor
In honor of the upcoming Memorial Day Weekend, All Things Oregon will re-explore various area veterans memorials you may want to visit, if not this Memorial Day then plan ahead for 2027.
The easiest event to attend this year is the service at the Eagle Point National Cemetery: May 25, 11:00 a.m. Eagle Point National Cemetery, 94335 2763 Riley Rd., Eagle Point.
Now we’ll look at several other veterans memorials in Southern Oregon. You can visit them individually or pack a picnic lunch next Memorial Day (or any day) and take a tour to honor them.
You can start with the Oregon Fallen War Heroes Memorial located at 222 W Vilas Rd, Central Point. A beautiful multi-war memorial dedicated to every Oregon military member killed in the line of duty since Oregon’s statehood in 1859.
There are separate memorials for each branch of service which together form a circular memorial walk. In the center is a beautiful bronze sculpture of two eagles in flight. There are also flags representing each branch of service.
Over in Rogue River at the VFW post, 410 Main St. is a memorial to all Jackson County veterans who were killed in both the Vietnam and Korean Wars. A little further up I-5 in Grants Pass you can visit the Riverside Park memorial at 6th and Riverside. This memorial honors Josephine County veterans from “all wars of this century” especially those wounded, disabled and those MIA and POW with a special dedication to those who lost their lives in the “Quest for Peace.”
Continuing north into Roseburg is the Veterans of Foreign Wars Remembrance Wall at 127 Walnut Street, Roseburg. This memorial stands out because it is the first QR code driven remembrance wall ever created according to the Roseburg VFW Post 2468.
Understanding that one wall could not hold all the biographies of the honored, there is a QR code for each veteran linking visitors to their full history and biography. You’ll want to allow plenty of time in your tour day, or days, to delve into all the information the QR codes have to offer.
Close by both the Grants Pass and Roseburg memorials is Merlin’s Veterans Walk of Honor located at the Merlin Community Park on Merlin-Galice Rd.
This beautiful memorial was designed by local artist and WWII Veteran George Mullen and honors all military personnel who now serve or have served in any branch of the United States Armed Services, including Merchant Marines.
There is a special section within the monument listing Josephine County veterans who died in service from WWII through the first Gulf War.
If you want to add a drive over to the coast to your itinerary, head to the Curry County Veterans Memorial in Gold Beach. It’s a simple but elegant engraved memorial dedicated to all Curry County veterans who served.
home veteran from his Honor Flight at Medford airport,
Merlin’s Veterans Walk of Honor, Oregon Fallen War
Heros Memorial, Hwy. 20 Medal of Honor Highway
start sign in Boston, Medal of Honor Hwy. 20 in Oregon,
Merlin’s Veterans Walk of Honor.
If you want to honor veterans and go for a drive across the state, hit Highway 20, Oregon’s section of the National Medal of Honor Highway.
Highway 20 runs 3,365 miles and was given its national delegation thanks to Oregonian and veteran Dick Tobiason. Tobiason convinced Oregon Legislature to designate Hwy. 20 in Oregon in 2017 then spent the next several years working with the 11 other states on the cross-country route until all officially designated their state’s sections of the highway. President Joe Biden signed the official national designation on Dec. 17, 2023.
Tobiason was inspired by his friend Bob Maxwell who received the Medal of Honor from President Franklin Roosevelt for his actions in WWII. While fighting in Besancon France, Maxwell threw himself on a German grenade suffering shrapnel wounds and the loss of part of his right foot but saving three other fellow soldiers.
Sadly Maxwell died in 2019, a few years shy of seeing the Medal of Honor Highway receive national designation, but you can remember him and others as you cruise along.
As a bit of a twist on the theme, we’ll close with some information on Honor Flight Oregon – a way you can help veterans travel to Washington, D.C. to visit the memorials there dedicated to honoring their service and sacrifices.
Honor Flight of Oregon is based out of Medford, and celebrates Southern Oregon Veterans who served prior to May 7, 1975 with a free trip to Washington, D.C.
Priority is given to the oldest veterans, those from WWII and Korea, but their goal is to provide the D.C. trip to all Southern Oregon vets willing and able to make the journey.
Honor Flight Oregon’s philosophy is, “Since America felt it was important to build these memorials, Honor Flight of Oregon believes it is equally important that veterans actually get to visit and experience THEIR memorials firsthand. We are dedicated to providing our veterans with the honor and respect they deserve.”
To learn more about Honor Flight Oregon and to apply as a Veteran, Guardian or Volunteer (all veterans must be accompanied on their trip by either a guardian or volunteer) OR to make a donation on Memorial Day or any day, visit their website.
