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Dogtag Memorial in Boston


dag
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I took my son to Boston last week, both to go to a Red Sox game, and to walk around the city to see the historic sites.

 

Behind the Old North Church (of course famed for "One if by land, two if by sea") was the memorial pictured below (a few more pictures to follow). Many hundreds of dogtags (though blank), with the sign "THE MEMORIAL GARDEN" honoring those "who have lost their lives in the Afghanistan and Iraq Wars".

 

It's a touching memorial, wondering who put it up and the story behind it.

 

 

post-11058-1344453329.jpg

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While symbolic, I wish the dog tags weren't blanks, but rather donated by service members with their names on them! :salute:

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This must be new. I lived 50 yards away from the Old North Church on Charter Street for 10 years. I will have to check with the "neighbors" as to when this went up on my next trip to the bakery.

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While symbolic, I wish the dog tags weren't blanks, ...

 

Agree, seemed strange with a bunch of blanks...

 

 

 

This must be new. I lived 50 yards away from the Old North Church on Charter Street for 10 years. I will have to check with the "neighbors" as to when this went up on my next trip to the bakery.

 

Please let me know if you find out anything about the story behind this. Thanks.

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I personally think the blanks have more symbolic meaning than named dog tags. The memorial is to remember the lives of those who were lost, and will continue to be lost, in our current wars. Having them as blanks represents "a" fallen soldier (Sailor, Marine, etc...), but taken together, they represent the entirety of the sacrifice to our nation.

 

As I see it, the memorial doesn't seek to set apart individuals, but show the fallen as a single entity and a single sacrifice.

 

Dave

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  • 4 weeks later...
I personally think the blanks have more symbolic meaning than named dog tags. The memorial is to remember the lives of those who were lost, and will continue to be lost, in our current wars. Having them as blanks represents "a" fallen soldier (Sailor, Marine, etc...), but taken together, they represent the entirety of the sacrifice to our nation.

 

As I see it, the memorial doesn't seek to set apart individuals, but show the fallen as a single entity and a single sacrifice.

 

Dave

 

Well said, I agree.

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