What a powerful mix of beauty, creativity, respect, and awe. What a wonderful way to honor…read morefirefighters. This has to be seen to be believed. It really is a memorial garden, a winding path with sets of stairs takes you on a journey of monuments, plaques, artifacts, and sculpted gardens and decorative bricks to create an overpowering effect. The Memorial Garden was dedicated on September 11, 2002 to honor "ALL WHO ANSWERED THE FINAL ALARM". The garden is at the side of Manchester Fire Station No. 5, 331 Tolland Turnpike, Manchester, CT, the garden is a mix of memorials and plantings adjacent to the American flag. The garden currently contains nine different memorials. The first New York memorial was dedicated on September 11, 2002 and is comprised of two retired twin alarm boxes depicting the North and South World Trade Center Towers, engraved in glass, are the names, ranks, and stations of all 343 New York Firefighters lost in the attacks of September 11, 2001. There is a planting of bushes that depict the numerals 9-11 and a grouping of bricks to form the numerals 3 4 3. There are also memorials to firefighters that died in the line of duty all over the country. Remember these catastrophes? A deadly 1999 warehouse fire in Worcester, MA that claimed six lives. A 2007 fire and collapse that took nine firefighters in Charleston, SC. The 2013 Arizona wildfire that consumed 19 members of the Granite Mountain Hotshot crew. They are all remembered here. There is a beam from the WTC. There are many individual memorials to CT firefighters who dies in the line of duty across the state. There are stones and flowers and plantings and trees. There is an eternal flowing fire hydrant. There's a memorial bench. There's a large memorial stone etched with aerial ladders. There is a bronze bell mounted in stone. Seriously, you could spend a full contemplative hour here, walking the garden, looking at all the exhibits, and reading all of the plaques and monuments.

The impressive memorial monument is located at the front entrance of the Main Fire Station in…read moreSimsbury. It has a small hexagonal top connected to a larger hexagonal base via six columns -it has the look of a cupola. Each of the upper panels is inscribed with the name of the six fire stations in Simsbury. There is a bronze fireman's hat on top and a silver fire bell below. The monument honors one firefighter in particular, and all deceased firemen from Simsbury. The monument's bronze plaque reads: "Frank R. Bradley Memorial In April of 1944, seventeen men stepped forward to form what would become the Simsbury Volunteer Fire Company. Frank Bradley was one of those original seventeen. In June of that year the Simsbury Fire District was created, followed closely by the creation of the Simsbury Volunteer Fire Company with the joint responsibility to provide fire protection for the residents of Simsbury. On July 6th, 1944, Frank Bradley, his wife Helen, and their two young daughters were attending the matinee performance of the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus in Hartford, CT. Shortly after the show started, fire erupted across the big top. In a matter of seconds, mass panic erupted as the spectators stormed towards the exits in all directions. Tragically, Frank and Helen Bradley became separated from their two daughters. Neither of the parents would emerge from the big top alive. Frank Bradley, that day, became the first deceased member of the Simsbury Volunteer Fire Company. It is in his name that Simsbury Volunteer Fire Company honors all of our deceased members who have served the community with dedications and pride." Many of the bricks surrounding the monument have been inscribed with the names of Simsbury's deceased firefighters. In front of the monument there is a plaque fastened into the bricks. The plaque's contains the Simsbury Volunteer Fire Sept crest and it's inscription reads: In The Line Of Duty Inscribed Here Are The Names Of Those Who Have Died In Serves To Their Community Lt. Richard F. Kelleher November 6, 1981

On the Town Green not far from Willington's Meeting House I saw a big slab of rough cut grey stone…read morein the shape of a cube with a rounded top. A lot of the stone monuments I see are smooth and almost mirror-like. But this one was heavily textured; sort of rough and tumbled. The stone has a dark tarnished plaque halfway up on the side facing the green. I found out the monument was dedicated to Willington's veterans of World War I. It reads: This Monument Is Erected By The Citizens Of The Town Of Willington, Connecticut In Sacred Memory And Appreciation Of Those Brave Men Who Went Forth In Response To The Call Of Our Country to Fight For Its Freedom And Peace. May 30, 1921 We Remember Them, Their Courage And Their God. I love the monument's simplicity, the stark striking look of the rough cut stone, and the powerful language of the inscription. I hope they maintain and restore the plaque before it gets in bad shape, I saw some streaking and weathering stains.

There is a small landscaped area at the Canton Fire Station set aside as a simple memorial. The…read moresetting includes two refurbished pieces of old firefighting equipment, a flagpole set inside a raised circular platform ringed in brick, and an engraved stone bench. The engraving on the bench reads: In Memory of Leona Miner And Departed Members of the Women's Auxiliary Canton Volunteer Fire Department Leona Miner was a Canton resident who passed away in 2008. She was dedicated to public service and the betterment of her community. She was active in work for the Collinsville Fire Department, Collinsville Ambulance, Canton Volunteer Fire and EMS, Canton Volunteer Fire Women's Auxiliary, former secretary of the Canton Volunteer Fire Co. and North Canton Volunteer Fire Association, treasurer of the Small Potatoes Food Co-op, was a Red Cross Instructor, a Connecticut Master Gardener and member of the Cherry Brook Garden Club.

On the town green where Bolton Center Road crosses Hebron Road lies a cluster of Veterans Monuments…read morededicated to the generations of Bolton's veterans. It's always powerful to see how a town honors its soldiers across the decades and centuries of history. The centerpiece of this Veterans Park is a three-paneled engraved stone with the names of soldiers that served in Americas late twentieth and early twenty-first century wars - WW II, Korea, Viet Nam, Kuwait, and Afghanistan/Iraq. There's also a lovely old plaque dedicated to the "Bolton Boys" of WW I, and another plaque for WW II, Korea, and Viet Nam. There's a flagpole, a historical marker honoring Rochambeau's army marching through town to aid George Washington's army, and another marker listing the historic sites in town. In its understated simplicity, this is a beautiful tribute to those who defended America across the centuries of history. Nice job, Bolton, CT !.

Standing on the Town Green next to a gorgeous old building now used as Willington's Meeting House…read moresits an enormous metal bell on a stone platform. The Gothic Revival building dates to 1876, and was first used as a church. It was sold to the Town in 1927 for $1, and became their Town Hall until 1974, The bell is significant, because during WW II, it was taken out of the bell tower because the building was used as an observation tower! The building is now used for public meetings. The marker on the bell's stone platform reads: In 1876 this bell was bought from the First Congregational Church of Stafford for $140 and hung in the belfry of the new Meeting House. In 1942 the bell rested in the entry when the tower was used as an observation post in World War II. On July 4, 1973 the bell pedestal was dedicated by the townspeople

The Enfield Town Green is a bonanza for those that appreciate Veterans monuments. There are three…read morein pretty close proximity of each other. The newest monument was dedicated in 2012 and it honors the broad spectrum of vets from all branches of the service. It isn't dedicated to those of any specific war, so it really honors all vets across the centuries of American history. It's a gorgeous monument made of high-gloss reflective black granite. It consists of eight columns of variable heights that form a sweeping arc. The six middle columns honor a different branch of the armed forces: Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard and Merchant Marine. Each panel carries the respective etched logo and motto for the branch it represents. The two end columns contain these inscriptions. Left Column: "This space is dedicated to the veterans of our community who served the nation in time of danger." Right column: "Some are with us still - Many have gone on ahead - Often they responded to a whisper from within - Others rallied to the call - All gave some - Some gave all." It's an absolutely beautiful monument.

This monument was a joy to conceive. The committee of town folks who worked on it were motivated by…read morea sincere respect for veterans. Some aspects of the design of the monument need to be pointed out. The height of the columns reflect the height of an average person. The sloping tops of the columns and the semi arc of their placement represent "embracing arms". When you stand front and center you will see your reflection in the six major columns. This feature allows the observer to be part of the monument. The overall concept was for the monument to be all inclusive and for all time. The words I wrote for the two flanking columns do not mention a gender, place, time or specific town. As the observer reads the inscription in the "here and now" they realize the inclusiveness of the overall design.

Another example of the seemingly inexhaustible supply of interesting memorials that seem to pop up…read moreunexpectedly in every corner of our state. This one can be found at the intersection of Route 159 (Windsor Avenue) and Deerfield Road. It's on your left as you proceed South on 159. This is an interesting one, because it's dedicated to the veterans of a specific neighborhood of a specific town -namely the Deerfield neighborhood of Windsor, CT. The memorial consists of a plastic globe mounted inside a green metal frame. The frame sits on a concrete base. On the base is an 8 column plaque with approximately 125 names. The plaque's inscription reads "Built by the Residents of the Deerfield section of Windsor to Honor those from the Neighborhood Who Served During World War Two." Behind the memorial is a flagpole, and behind the flagpole there is a series of painted white stones that spell out the letters in "Deerfield", giving it a home-made look. It's a very cool monument.