I originally posted this in 2015 for Memorial Day, and many current readers were not around here then, so here goes. If you know of memorials on other Forests, please share in the comments.
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Here’s what I thought was the best story about this…thank you, Kevin Torres (KUSA), -the link no longer works, but below is an excerpt.
The Mountains of the Rio Grande National Forest conceal mystery. The sort of mystery that fills a field as it fills a void.
Hidden away in the 1.8-million-acre forest is a treasure few people are aware of. It was created nearly 20 years ago by a man who devoted the remaining years of his life to honoring soldiers who fought in the Vietnam War.
“He was really enchanted with it. It was his only goal in life for the last 30 years,” Phyllis Beckley Roy said.
Roy is referring to her brother, Lieutenant Colonel Stuart Allen Beckley. Beckley fought in Vietnam from 1962 through 1973. After the war, Roy said her brother was deeply impacted by Vietnam and wanted to do something for his fellow soldiers – as well as the other countries affected by the war.
“He just couldn’t believe that people could not know what was going on, and he decided he would take any penny he could scrape together to build a memorial to honor the people who were not honored,” Roy said.
Beckley’s idea to build a stone memorial on national forest land was initially denied. But when the forest supervisor for the Rio Grande National Forest, Jim Webb (now retired), discovered Beckley was dying of cancer, he changed his mind.
Beckley’s last mission in life was to establish a lasting tribute in memory of the soldiers of Vietnam and Laos. His dream eventually became reality. By the mid-90s, SOLDIERSTONE had been built.
“He designed it, and he bought everything that went into it,” Roy said.
Beckley didn’t have many connections to Colorado. He chose the Rio Grande National Forest because of its proximity to the Continental Divide – and because it was a large forest that could easily hide his memorial.
According to Roy, Beckley didn’t want many people to know about it. He never intended for large crowds to visit it and to take pictures of it.
“The idea was he wanted it to be secluded. He didn’t want people to vandalize it,” Roy said.
Sure are a lot of dead trees in the picture. Maybe it’s appropriate for the memorial, or maybe it’s endemic of how we take care of things.
Bob, if I had to guess, because it’s on the Rio, it’s probably spruce beetle..I don’t think that there is much we could have done about it to keep it from happening. Of course, others might disagree.
great post, thanks. I’m always amazed how few of my students seem to have any more than a faint awareness of the Viet Nam War, e.g, when I talk about Agent Orange it’s like I’m talking about a new soft drink or something. Been on my mind, after 40 years I just joined the Vietnam Veterans of America (they’re very generously inclusive, seeing as I only served on a sub base and 6th Fleet carrier during the war), partly to help get myself more involved with legal aid for vets. Anyway, nice to see this memorial, thanks for posting.
Yeah, there does seem to be quite a bit of (presumably) beetle kill in the background. Maybe some invasive weeds in the foreground too, hard to tell…
Thank you for this post Sharon. For so many years I was told the agency did not allow memorials on NFS lands. This shows not only was that wrong but that also there are few land uses that the agency has authority to allow that are more meaningful and sacred. God bless our veterans and the National Forest leaders who are not afraid to publicly recognize them. Most memorials are by their nature quiet and reflective.
I was the public affairs specialist on the Rio Grande NF when a woman “discovered” Soldierstone and made a video that she posted to YouTube. Suddenly, Lt. Colonel Beckley’s vision of people stumbling across the memorial or being told about by word of mouth was shattered (he didn’t foresee YouTube and social media) as media outlets suddenly started calling wanting more info. The WO and RO also started calling and since all the USFS folks directly involved with authorizing and working with the construction of Soldierstone had retired or moved on, I was the recipient of strong tongue lashings. Among other things I was told I should have communicated with the RO about Soldierstone’s existence. I was also told it was illegal to build a memorial on a national forest. I responded with, “Go ahead, tear it down. I’m sure that will be popular.” I also asked for citations showing that such a memorial was illegal to construct on NFS land. It isn’t.
Shortly following the RO/WO uproar, six Vietnam veterans who were with special forces connected with me. They had been close friends with Lt. Col. Beckly and one of them was the stone cutter/engraver for the memorial. The acting district ranger and I met up with them at the memorial and we got to hear the untold backstory of the memorial and why it was not publicized. Special forces were like ghosts who moved through the landscape without being seen or heard. This memorial was to those in special forces from all the countries involved. The center of the memorial is surrounded by granite quote stones written in the languages from the special forces involved with the war.
All the heat I took and the micromanagement from the WO/RO about media engagement was worth it when I stood at the memorial with the acting district ranger and six veterans and toasted all the special forces soldiers who paid the ultimate price during the Vietnam War. The acting ranger and I were in our USFS uniforms and when we were handed a paper cup with a shot of fine bourbon she looked at me questioningly (are we allowed to do this?), and I said, “Damned right we are drinking this.”