The 11th
Cavalry Memorial Project is well underway. Our monument is now in storage at the
Columbus Monument Company until the spring, when the key parts will be used in
the erection of the new memorial on the future site of a new Armor and Cavalry
Museum.
Here is an artist's sketch of what the new monument will look like, with a
target date of completion on or about 1 June of 2015.
The centerpiece obelisk is a rock which was quarried in Vietnam and brought back
to Fort Knox carrying the names of our KIA. Over time it has been enhanced with
other obelisks to memorialize our KIA from our other conflicts.
It is now a monument for all 11th
Cav Memorial Project.html of our eras of service. First of its kind. A
benchmark for all other armor and cavalry regiments to try and emulate. A place
where Blackhorse Troopers of all eras can connect with their past and their
future (the new Home of Armor). A fitting memorial to the Blackhorse Troopers
who have paid the ultimate sacrifice since 1901. A place to take your family and
say: "This is who I am. I was part of the Eleventh United States Cavalry, the
one and only Blackhorse Regiment."
UPDATE May 11, 2015
Attached are photos of the progress of our memorial.
The photos show work on the concrete pad. The pad was poured April 30. They had to dig approximately 20" deep and fill with 8 loads of gravel in order to get the required 650 psf soil test.
Also shown is the fabrication of the two large tablets with the Blackhorse insignia and unit crest as well as the three new bronze plaques. The "11th Cavalry History" plaque will be mounted on the tablet with the Blackhorse insignia. The "Campaigns" plaque will be mounted on the unit crest tablet. The "Blackhorse Memorial" plaque will be mounted in front of the Vietnam memorial.
The monuments will be put in place the end of June. The new bricks (approximately 550) will be delivered by the end of May. All bricks (1,500) will be set in place at the end of June. We plan a trip to Columbus in late June to arrange the bricks in the correct order as they were at Knox. Frank Church and Sheri Bowen helped clean, mark and pack the bricks at Knox. THANKS! We'll be using the running bond patter as suggested by Frank.
So, it looks like it's all coming together!