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