Radically Retired

Welcoming Spring 2026

Written by

Terry

in

, ,

Because the official first day of spring fell on a Friday, hubs and I decided to spend the weekend welcoming the new season by doing new things.

On Friday, we visited the Veterans War Memorial of Texas in McAllen, TX.

Hubs and I have passed this park many times over the years, but have never stopped to take it in.

The 3.5 acre site was opened in 1990 and pays tribute to the 1.4 million Americans who were killed or missing in action in every conflict the nation has been involved in.

There are 160 tall granite panels, each engraved with a plethora of historical information. To read it all, one would have to spend several hours there. Because it was a hot day, we browsed and read a bit from each plaza and I took photos of every block, so we could read them later.

Each plaza is made up of several granite panels arranged in a circle and has its own theme.

At the centre of the site is a 104 ft tall granite monolith. It’s named the American Spire of Honour.

There is a statue of a female officer at each entrance
A Sobering experience
Memorial to WAC and WAVE members
General Bernardo de Galvez
Patrick Henry
George Washington
Martha Washington
This shows the amount of engraving on each panel

This was well worth the stop and we’ll definitely visit again on a cooler day.

Comments

20 responses to “Welcoming Spring 2026”

  1. Edward Ortiz Avatar
    Edward Ortiz

    Thank you for sharing these photos and information. I’ll definitely visit that memorial the next time we go to McAllen.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Terry Avatar
      Terry

      I’m sure you’ll appreciate it, Edward. I actually thought of you when we were there. Knowing that your brother in law (if I remember correctly)is in McAllen, and that you’re an ex-service member, I thought this would be a place you’d like to visit.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
      1. Edward Ortiz Avatar
        Edward Ortiz

        You’re correct, it’s my brother in law. We’ve visited him many times, but we’ve never taken the time to actually see those places. I definitely will next time, because as a former soldier, I’d like to visit that memorial. Thank you for remembering that he lives there.

        Liked by 1 person

  2. Charla Avatar
    Charla

    Good for you to stop and visit this place. Looks like a great memorial. It can sure be overwhelming to think of all the lives lost and I am forever grateful for them.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Terry Avatar
      Terry

      You’re right, Charla. It’s incredibly overwhelming. They’ve done a wonderful job on this memorial and there’s more in the plans.

      Like

      Reply
  3. Lana Avatar
    Lana

    Just looked up the life of Martha Washington for the first time, so thank you for that knowledge Terry. That is such an impressive memorial area.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Terry Avatar
      Terry

      I’m happy you found it interesting, Lana. The area truly is impressive.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  4. Phil Strawn Avatar
    Phil Strawn

    Have a great summer in Canada, I’ll be thinking bout ya’ll while I bake sidewalk biscuits on my patio in the 300-degree heat. Nice pictures.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Terry Avatar
      Terry

      Thanks, Phil and I hope you and Momo have a great summer as well, with some reprieves from that heat.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
      1. Phil Strawn Avatar
        Phil Strawn

        We are going to the west Texas desert for a while, then to Beavers Bend OK. I’ve got a part time gig supervising a crew of Beavers building a viaduct.

        Like

  5. Betty Avatar
    Betty

    These memorials are important! Like you said, they are sobering, but we must not forget these battles. There is a lot to read though! I’ll often take pictures of panels with lots of info; sometimes I read them later and sometimes not. But, at least I can if I want to. I like to do new things, too! Happy Spring!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Terry Avatar
      Terry

      Yes, they’re very important, Betty. I would imagine you’ll soon be hitting the road. It’ll be about a week for us. Happy Spring to you too!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
      1. Betty Avatar
        Betty

        Yes, hitting the road on Friday. Safe travels, Terry!

        Liked by 1 person

      2. Terry Avatar
        Terry

        And safe travels to you too, Betty!

        Liked by 1 person

  6. Mid-Life Mama Avatar
    Mid-Life Mama

    And great photos.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Terry Avatar
      Terry

      Thanks so much!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  7. Mid-Life Mama Avatar
    Mid-Life Mama

    Looks like a very worthwhile place to visit. I’ve been to McAllen briefly but hadn’t stopped here.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Terry Avatar
      Terry

      If you like history (as we do), it’s an excellent stop.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  8. Chuckster Avatar
    Chuckster

    The piece balances lightness (a spring outing, curiosity, photos for later) with the weight of what’s remembered there, and that contrast does the real work. Nicely crafted.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Terry Avatar
      Terry

      Thank you for the kind words, Chuckster. None of that was intentional, but I’m happy the end result played out that way.

      Like

      Reply

Thanks for stopping by to read and comment!

More posts