Tour of Honor is a great reason to hit the open road and honor our nation's heroes. U.S. memorials that honor the brave people who protect -- or have protected -- our life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Some are local, some are national, all are rewarding and interesting.
To register with Tour Of Honor - http://www.tourofhonor.com/pages/register.html
This group ryde will take in all seven memorials in Florida. Click for memorial details. Day 1 will qualify for the Iron Butt Association's Tour Of Honor Saddlesore which is a 1,000-mile ride in 24 hours, visiting at least four (4) ToH memorial sites during the ride.
Day 1 (October 20) feet-up times & places:
- 5:05 AM - Kangaroo Express 17503 W Colonial Drive, Oakland, FL
- 5:15 AM - SUNOCO 7798 N Wickham Rd, Melbourne, FL 32940
- 6:45 AM - BP 1628 W Granada Blvd Ormond Beach, Florida, 32174
Aside from visiting this year's seven Florida memorials this ride will take us to all corners of the state. At the end of day two we will wash down the dust at a couple of breweries.
- Florida Keys Brewing 200 Morada Way, Islamorada, FL 33036 http://www.floridakeysbrewingco.com
- Islamorada Beer 82229 Overseas Hwy, Islamorada, FL 33036 http://www.ibctastingroom.com
- Cigars In the Keys 82775 Overseas Hwy, Islamorada, FL http://cigarsinthekeys.com
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STOP 1: Veterans Memorial Wall and Eternal Flame
Jacksonville, Florida
1145 East Adams St.
GPS: 30.324398, -81.640288
Access: 24/7, unrestricted
Take a photo similar to the one above, along with rider flag and motorcycle. Refer to RULES 5-7 (http://www.tourofhonor.com/pages/rules.html#rules57) for photo verification. Scorers have final say whether standards are met.
The Veterans Memorial Wall is located adjacent to the Jacksonville Municipal Stadium in downtown Jacksonville, Florida. The quarter-million dollar monument was dedicated in November, 1995 and serves as a tribute to more than 1,500 Jacksonville area American war heroes. The outdoor memorial was promoted as "the only wall that honors veterans from all six branches" (Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, Coast Guard and Merchant Marine). The 65 foot-long black granite monument contains the names of servicemen and women from World War I through Operation Desert Storm and the current war on terrorism.
The Wall is the site of the city's Memorial Day ceremony, when any local servicewoman and serviceman who lost their lives in the prior year are honored and their names added to the obelisque.
When the Wall was built, it was located just eight feet from the exterior wall of the Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Coliseum, and extraordinary measures were taken to protect it when the Coliseum was demolished in 2003. When all of the debris was removed and the site restored to grade, the Memorial was surrounded by a 2-acre walking park.
STOP 2: Submarine Lifeguard League Memorial
Pensacola, Florida
200 South 10th Ave.
GPS: 30.412996, -87.203439
Access: 24/7, unrestricted
Take a photo similar to the one above, along with rider flag and motorcycle. Refer to RULES 5-7 (http://www.tourofhonor.com/pages/rules.html#rules57) for photo verification. Scorers have final say whether standards are met.
"Pride Runs Deep." The Submarine Lifeguard League system was proactive and credited with saving the lives of over 500 airmen. Submarines would be stationed surfaced off locations targeted for attack by air forces. Their locations would be known by the air crews and they could communicate with the submarines via secure radio channels. Thus, the pilot and crew of a damaged aircraft could ditch and bail out close to the nearest submarine lifeguard.
STOP 3: Freedom Memorial
Tampa, Florida
Wilderness Park-Veterans Memorial
3602 US 301
GPS: 27.976390, -82.363154
Park hours are 10am-5:30pm. Photo of signage nearby allowed if outside park hours.
The Freedom Memorial consists of six seven foot Cherokee marble tablets, this white marble is symbolic of the purity of our forefathers' ideals of freedom. The Etowah, pink marble band, which the tablets rest on represents the lifeblood given to win and maintain this magnificent cause. The great seal of the United States graces the forward tablet. A likeness of the 1776 Minuteman and the preamble of our constitution appears on its reverse side. There are five additional tablets each bearing the seal of a branch of our services. All seals are carved in one inch relief. The reverse side of the tablet records a brief history of its branch.
The Capstones tie the branches together. They display a total of thirteen flutes, symbolic of our colonies, and fifty stars, symbolic of our states. Rising out of the center of the memorial is a forty foot flagpole from which the flag of our nation is displayed and illuminated.
Take a photo similar to the one above, along with rider flag and motorcycle. Refer to RULES 5-7 (http://www.tourofhonor.com/pages/rules.html#rules57) for photo verification. Scorers have final say whether standards are met. More.
The Veterans Memorial Park and Museum (http://veteransparkhc.com/index.html) in Tampa is a permanent site on the Tour of Honor. Pay a visit to the website to see the ambitious plans for remembering those who paid the ultimate sacrifice.
Made in America: Busch Gardens (http://seaworldparks.com/en/buschgardens-tampa/) is nearby if you need a roller coaster fix.
They say you shouldn't leave Tampa without having a Cuban Sandwich, or two. Near the Veterans Memorial is the highly-rated Brocato's Sandwich (http://www.tampabrocatos.com) shop. Here's how one foodie describes a Cuban sandwich: "These buttery sandwiches have all that is right with the world in between its two pieces of Cuban bread: ham, roasted pork, Swiss cheese, salami, pickles, lettuce, tomato, mayo and mustard. Variations exist like opting out of one of these ingredients, and making the decision to include onions and/or oregano, or not."
STOP 4: Veterans Memorial
Wauchula, Florida
W Palmetto St. and N 6th Ave.
GPS: 27.548617, -81.812272
Access: 24/7, unrestricted
Take a photo similar to the one above, along with rider flag and motorcycle. Refer to RULES 5-7 (http://www.tourofhonor.com/pages/rules.html#rules57) for photo verification. Scorers have final say whether standards are met.
This memorial honors the sons and daughters of Hardee County who died in war. Behind the memorial on display is the F-84F Thunderstreak painted in the USAF Thunderbirds paint scheme. The straight wing F-84G was the first plane used by the Thunderbirds in 1953. In 1955 they moved up to the swept wing F-84F represented at this memorial.
STOP 5: Marine Corps Iwo Jima War Memorial
Cape Coral, Florida
2500 SE 24th St.
GPS: 26.608194, -81.916890
Access: 24/7, unrestricted
Take a photo similar to the one above, along with rider flag and motorcycle. Refer to RULES 5-7 (http://www.tourofhonor.com/pages/rules.html#rules57) for photo verification. Scorers have final say whether standards are met.
The Iwo Jima war memorial represents an iconic moment in time captured by AP photographer Joe Rosenthal and created by Felix deWeldon. It’s the most famous image of WWII depicting five marines and a Navy Corpsman raising the American Flag atop Mt. Suribachi, Iwo Jima on Feb 23, 1945. This is a one-third scale recreation of the original Marine Corps War Memorial. Through the efforts of the Marine Corps League, the sculpture was refurbished and rededicated February 22, 1998, at the present location in Four Mile Cove Ecological Preserve.
STOP 6: Keys Historical Military Memorial
Key West, Florida
Mallory Square
400 Wall St.
GPS: 24.559563, -81.807479
Access: 24/7, unrestricted
Take a photo similar to the one above, along with rider flag and motorcycle. Refer to RULES 5-7 (http://www.tourofhonor.com/pages/rules.html#rules57) for photo verification. Scorers have final say whether standards are met.
This memorial has many plaques listing the names of Key West veterans of wars dating back to World War II. There are many other informational signs about armed conflicts fought in the Florida Keys.
A gun sight from the USS Maine honors its best with this handsome memorial dedicated to those who have proudly served their country and the military events directly affecting Key West and the Keys. Beginning in 1822, when the U. S. Navy raised the American flag over Key West, the era of the Spanish-American War, through WW I and WW II, Korea, the Cuban missile crisis, Vietnam, Desert Storm, Iraq, and the ongoing war on drugs, this simple, elegant display stands proud as a sentinel reflecting a community paying homage to these historical events and brave souls.
In four successive wars, the Civil War, the Spanish-American War, and World Wars I and II, the Key West base underwent rapid expansion in size, facilities, and personnel, reaching a peak of over 3,000 acres and more than 15,000 military personnel in World War II. In each of these conflicts, military forces based in Key West played a vital role in training and in operations against the enemy on land, sea and in the air.
The memorial is a timeline of significant military engagements in which Armed Forces members from the Keys participated. Each pedestal addresses the military actions depicted in the timeline beginning with the Anti-piracy Campaign, next is the Seminole Indian War, the Civil War, the Spanish American War, World War I, World War II, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Cold War and the Drug War.
Made in America: Don't forget the obligatory photo of the Key West buoy at Whitehead and South Sts. GPS: 24.546560, -81.797488
STOP 7: Naked Warrior Memorial
Fort Pierce, Florida
National Navy SEAL Museum
3300 N Hwy A1A
GPS: 27.495083, -80.300321
Museum access: Tuesday-Saturday 10am to 4pm, Sunday 12pm to 4pm. Photo of signage nearby allowed if outside museum hours.
Take a photo similar to the one above, along with rider flag and motorcycle. Refer to RULES 5-7 (http://www.tourofhonor.com/pages/rules.html#rules57) for photo verification. Scorers have final say whether standards are met.
The entrance to the National Navy SEAL Museum is guarded by the statue of the Naked Warrior, which specifically portrays the elite men of the U.S. Navy’s Underwater Demolition Teams of World War II. These men went into battle equipped only with swim fins, face mask, and a slate board with a lead pencil on which to record intelligence gathered. Their only weapon was a K-Bar knife. The statue also stands in honor all maritime commando units that have provided legacy capabilities still resident in today’s U.S. Navy SEAL Teams. Several of these legacy units received basic or advanced schooling at Amphibious Training Base (ATB) Fort Pierce, FL beginning as early as February 1943 in proximity of where the National Navy SEAL Museum now stands.
