Many of us are familiar with the "Higgins Boats", the various landing craft that were used in multiple theaters for beach landings during WWII.

 

This July 4th weekend, the local news has been running stories about a memorial in Columbus, Nebraska dedicated to the designer of those boats, Andrew Jackson Higgins who was born there.

 

It features a waterline model of a landing craft with bronze statues of infantrymen running forward through beach obstacles. I hope to visit it shortly. Currently one represents WWII, one represents Korea and a third, Vietnam.

 

There is also a statue of Higgins himself, and a twisted girder from the World Trade Center.

 

For those of you crossing through the state, this is right off of historic Route 30.

 

http://www.higginsmemorial.com/Default.asp

 

http://www.maritimequest.com/misc_pages/monuments_memorials/higgins_memorial_page_4.htm

 

And one more for perspective... from the same web source.

While in Columbus, the birthplace of Higgins, you can also visit the Higgins Room at the Platte County Historical Society museum. The room contains information on Higgins, artifacts from Higgins Industries, and information on the various beaches around the world where Higgins boats were used.

http://www.megavision.net/museum/index.htm

 

A copy of the outdoor Higgins Memorial in Columbus was erected in 2015 on UTAH Beach. The display features the boat, bronze statue of Higgins, and bronze WWII infantrymen.

 

Tom

That, is a very nicely staged public memorial... very very nicely done!