Memorials to Veterans in Second Life

One can find just about anything in Second Life. And that includes tributes to those who died in defense of their country. Almost two years ago, Second Life Newser took a look at some of the memorials on the Grid. Sadly since then, some have faded away. This includes the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. But there are also some additions.

 Although known more for it's Relay for Life events, Southern Colorado has a small veterans memorial.

" 'My Angel, his name is Freedom - Choose him to be your king. He shall cut pathways east and west, and fend you with his wing.' - Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Dedicated to all those who have given life or limb in the service of the Angel named Freedom."

The Southern Colorado is at Southern Colorado, (129, 41, 25)

Patriot Island is home to a community of veterans in Second Life. It's also home to a replica of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

Patriot Island (165, 125, 28)

In the Thynk sim, there is "The Path of Freedom" memorial, "The Path to Freedom memorial was made in honor of all who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces and the millions that have been affected through the many wars that this country has had to face."

The memorial mentions well-known wars in American history, as well as the Indian Wars, the Cold War, and conflicts and operations in recent history (pictured just above), some well known, some which have become smaller historical footnotes.

"The Path of Freedom" is in Thynk (174, 35, 23)

 In the Arena sim, the Operation Enduring Freedom Memorial, a tribute to the soldiers who fell in Afghanistan. The wife of a veteran got the help of Jade Opel and Jester Knox in building the memorial. The name on the stone and the picture changes every few moments.

"My husband is in the Army and was stationed there for a year in 2005, and left Jan 24, 2007.  His first deployment, fortunately they only lost one soldier from their unit, but many others have died.  This is my way of honoring those that gave their lives for this country."

 "And as of 27 May 2012 there have been 4222 visitors,  I reset it by accident, I am actually amazed at that number and I am sorry I have not kept the memorial up to date, however RL has taken priority and it's toll on me, so I hope you will forgive me.  I haven't forgotten about any fallen hero, I have just been delayed.

"If you are also interested you may donate to the following places.Armed Forces Relief Trust (www.afrtrust.org).  The people help the families that have lost loved ones in Iraq and Afghanistan. Operation Family Fund (http://www.oeffamilyfund.org)  They help provide help to the families and also to help build a memorial on the lost soldiers behalf."

The memorial is in Arena, (70, 95, 46)

For those looking for a British memorial, there's one in the London area, the Tower Hill Memorial in Knightbridge.

"The Tower Hill Memorial is a replica of the real life Tower Hill Memorial, which is located in London. The Tower Hill Memorial commemorates military personnel from WW1. The memorial also includes a replica of the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior."

The Tower Hill Memorial is in Knightbridge (95, 230, 21)

No doubt there are other memorials, so by all means don't stop looking, and honoring.

Bixyl Shuftan

Veterans Day Themed Places and Events in Second Life

This week, and before, a number of events are taking place for the benefit of veterans in Second Life. Some of these are yearly events. Others are places which are always active and have special events. And then there are locations active throughout the year, and are simply more visible now.

For the fifth year in a row, the Second Life Veterans Tribute will be taking place. Hosted by the Flying Tigers, the location is high over the WW2 Pacific sim. One reason it hasn’t been mentioned earlier by the Newser is the team hasn’t quite had as much time to get the word out. “The SLVT is a ‘ lil scaled back this year as real-life constraints did not afford the necessary time to dedicate it truely,” explained Wellhung Bagley, “We were fortunate that the Flying Tigers agreed to host it.”

The Tribute has a number of displays up, from airplane exhibits, to the Second Life Coast Guard, to the National Native American Veterans Association and more. But the biggest one of all is the Second Life World War II Memorial, “permanently housed on the sim. This Memorial is a scaled replica of the original memorial located in Washington D.C. The SL version was commissioned by the SL Flying Tigers and built by RL architect, Deusen Marx. The purpose of this Memorial is to honor the sacrifices of a generation and commemorate the Allied victory in World War II. “

The continuing feature from previous Tributes is the Memorial Wall, each block a contribution by a resident to honor a Veteran alive or deceased. Wildroses Pevensey informed, “We have some new blocks that are in the newer section of the wall this year, a drummer boy from the Union Army (he lied about his age and enlisted when he was 14). We also have a block of veterans, submitted by one of their brothers, he comes every year to honor them.”

On Friday Veterans Day, the Flying Tigers are scheduled to perform several flyovers.

5:00 PM - Golden Tigers
5:30 PM - WW2 Flyover
6:00 PM - Second Life Coast Guard (SLCG)
6:30 PM - 23rd Flyover
7:00 PM - Historical Flyover
7:30 PM - Golden Tigers

For Saturday, the last day of the Tribute, the emphasis will be music, “this will be a combination of Live Singers and Live DJ's starting at 12 PM SLT. We are still working on the schedule but it is going to start at noon and go till it stops.”

The Veterans Tribute is at World War II Memorial Park, WW2 Pacific (128, 9, 2517). One can read more at http://slveteranstribute.blogspot.com/ . Funds raised go to “Operation Uplink, to provide free phone calls for veterans overseas.

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Another big event is the “Fearless Festival,” also known as the “Be Fearless PTSD Awareness Event.” Organized by the Fearless Nation Group, the thrid annual “Be Fearless” event offers “ten days of live music, art exhiits, sims hunt, sponsor showcase, and more.”

Fearless Nation welcome(s) all PTSD sufferers, their families, friends, and clinicians, war veterans, law enforcement personnel, emergency response workers, those traumatized by sexual abuse, child abuse, torture, human trafficking, hostage events and crime, man-made and natural disasters, and physical, psychological, and verbal trauma.

Honour McMillian wrote, “They provide information, access to resources, classes, workshops, support groups and more. They also hold an annual festival to heighten awareness of this debilitating problem and the help that is available as well as education to address the widespread issue of stigma associated with any mental illness.“ Anya Ibor is the founder of the group.

“I don't know anybody, including myself, whose life has not been touched or altered by mental illness whether their own or that of a loved one. One of the most heartbreaking aspects of this burden is the feeling of being "alone." Second Life and Fearless Nation help begin recovery by first addressing this issue and then providing the support and assistance necessary to ensure that the appropriate treatment for PTSD is received.”

For the month, two sims have been set up for an art exhibition. One can find displays from artists such as Trill Zapetero, Scottius Polke, and Bryn Oh.

The Fearless Festival is at Oak Beach (96, 156, 22). For more information, go to http://www.fearless-nation.org/EVENT2011.html .

Source: Honour McMillian

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The London sims have an event to honor veterans in Hyde Park on November 11th. Residents are invited to visit the Tower Hill War Memorial at Knightsbridge (82, 234, 21). From 10AM to 12 Noon SL time, there will be a party at Hyde Park with a 2000L prize. On Saturday and Sunday are additional parties near the War Memorial at London England UK (104, 46, 22), starting at Noon and 10 AM respectively.

Other places include the Garden of Rememberance, “The ‘Garden of Remembrance’ is there for all to visit in memory of and tribute to the armed forces from the UK, British Commonwealth, the USA and NATO, as well as for all the reserves and volunteers.” The place is a memorial with poppy flowers slowly drifting down, with pictures and poetry on the walls, the ground having fields of more poppies. The place is at RoBeck Land (211, 104, 33).

Finally, there is Patriot Island. This location is more than the location of a memorial, but also hosts an active military community with regular events. They frequenly hold fundraisers for the Wounded Warrior Project. They are located at the US Military Veterans' Center, Patriot Island (165, 125, 28)

There are of course many more locations, and much went on while exploring these featured ones which will have to wait for further articles. By all means drop by to experience for yourself, and search for more.

Bixyl Shuftan