Richmond County Veterans Memorial Park, Rockingham
The Richmond County Veterans Park was created in 2010. It fills an open lawn on a flat to gently sloping area estimated at close to an acre. As of 2023, there were six grey granite tablet style markers of similar heights and largely unadorned. A seventh marker is of black granite and features a color photo of the Iwo Jima flag raising. The grey granite markers are arranged around a flat-U shaped walkway with three flagpoles and poured concrete pad as a center piece. A small stone in front of the flagpole pad is in memory of 9-11-2001. The Iwo Jima marker is at a spoke that angles to the left and a Battlefield Cross is at a spoke that angles to the right. The Battlefield Cross stands on a circular concrete pad inside a large red painted circle. The cross itself appears to be of bronze and stands on a platform made of laminate wood panels. In 2021 the Confederate Soldiers Memorial that had been removed from Harrington Square in downtown Rockingham was relocated to the rear of the park in line with the flagpoles. A white wooden rail fence outlines the park on three sides with the Confederate Soldier Memorial on the outside of this fence. Photos from 2016 do not show two of the memorials present as of 2023, the Iwo Jima and Battlefield Cross. The park was also renamed to honor Corey “Yank” Gibbon, Jr. in 2013. Approximately 20 rows of memorial crosses with memorial stones fill much of the open lawn. Also present are four memorial benches of concrete. The site has two graves of veterans located along the rear fence line. A small tombstone style granite marker to the park land donors is under the park signage along with a plaque to Corey “Yank” Gibbon, Jr.
Images:
Memorial Park signage |
Corey F. Gibbon plaque |
Vera and Bump Seaco marker |
View of the Memorial Park with several monuments and memorials |
Veterans Memorial marker |
Two graves of veterans |
Confederate Monument at the new location |
Distant view of the Confederate memorial |
Rear view of the Confederate memorial |
Korean War marker |
Vietnam War marker |
War Dead marker #1 |
War Dead marker #2 |
Iwo Jima marker |
World War II marker |
Battlefield Cross |
Battlefield Cross rear view |
Battlefield Cross side view |
Battlefield Cross inscriptions |
9-11 stone |
Military flags |
Memorial crosses |
A memorial cross stone |
Memorial bench |
View with flagpoles |
Far-off view of the Memorial Park
Park signage: RICHMOND COUNTY / VETERANS / MEMORIAL PARK / IN MEMORY OF: / COREY “YANK” GIBBON, JR.
Gibbon plaque: IN MEMORY OF / COREY F. GIBBON, JR. / SP5 US ARMY / VIETNAM / JUL 13 1949 JUL 27 2013 / PURPLE HEART / HIS WEALTH WAS IN HIS HEART
Seaco marker: IN MEMORY OF / VERA AND BUMP / SEACO / WHO GAVE THIS / LAND
War Dead marker #1: IN MEMORY OF / THE MEN AND WOMEN / FROM RICHMOND COUNTY / WHO LOST THEIR LIVES / IN THE FOLLOWING / WARS AND CONFLICTS / WORLD WAR I / LAOS / DOMINICAN REPUBLIC / CAMBODIA / LEBANON / PANAMA / GRENADA / DESERT STORM / HAITI / SOMALIA / BOSNIA / ENDURING FREEDOM / GOD BLESS YOU
War Dead marker #2: IN MEMORY OF THE / MEN AND WOMEN / FROM RICHMOND COUNTY / WHO LOST THEIR LIVES / IN THE FOLLOWING / WARS AND CONFLICTS / IRAQ / AFGHANISTAN / ENDURING FREEDOM / GOD BLESS YOU
Iwo Jima: THE FLAG RAISING ON IWO JIMA / FEB. 23, 1945
Veterans Memorial marker: RICHMOND COUNTY / VETERANS MEMORIAL / DEDICATED TO THOSE WHO SERVED / TO PRESERVE THE FREEDOM THAT / WE SHARE AS CITIZENS OF THE / UNITED STATES OF AMERICA / THANK YOU MEN & WOMEN OF / U.S. ARMY / U.S. AIRFORCE / U.S. COAST GUARD / U.S. MARINE CORP / U.S NAVY / IN HONOR OF THOSE WHO SERVED
World War II marker: IN LOVING MEMORY OF ALL THE / MEN AND WOMEN WHO GAVE THEIR / LIVES IN WORLD WAR II YOU WILL / ALWAYS BE REMEMBERED / GOD BLESS YOU
Vietnam War Dead marker: RICHMOND COUNTY MEN & / WOMEN WHO LOST THEIR LIVES / IN THE VIETNAM WAR / DONALD LINCOLN COVINGTON PFC ARMY 7-8-69 / BENJAMIN TALLY DAWKINS SGT ARMY 9-6-68 / JIMMIE LOUIS ELLERBE PFC ARMY 4-5-67 / LONNNIE ELLERBE JR LCPL MC 8-13-68 / THOMAS LEE LEWIS SFC ARMY 5-23-64 / JAMES EDWARD MCPHERSON PFC 5-30-68 / BILLIE GROVER RUSS CPL ARMY 11-10-68 / WILLIAM THOMAS WADDELL SSGT ARMY 5-7-70 / JAMES ARTHUR ASHECRAFT PFC ARMY 12-28-66 / LUTHER HARRIS HOWARD SP4 ARMY 6-30-67 / NOAH LEALAND SMITH PFC ARMY 11-23-68 / ROBERT AUSTI STUBBERFIELD AF LTC 5-6-65 / MOSS WILEY BARRY US ARMY 4-1-1969 / LONNIE HOOPAUGH NAVY 2-11-1969 / ALL GAVE SOME SOME GAVE ALL / [rear] ALL GAVE SOME SOME GAVE ALL
Korean War: IN MEMORY OF MEN AND WOMEN / FROM RICHMOND COUNTY WHO LOST / THEIR LIVES IN THE KOREAN WAR / GOD BLESS YOU / ALL GAVE SOME SOME GAVE ALL
Battlefield Cross, small plaque: BATTLEFIELD CROSS / WHEN A SERVICEMAN OR WOMAN HAS BEEN LOST IN THE BATTLEFIELD, / IT HAS BECOME CUSTOMARY TO ARRANGE THEIR BOOTS, RIFLE / AND HELMET IN THE CONFIGURATION YOU SEE BEFORE YOU. / THE SURVIVING MEMBERS OF THEIR SQUAD WILL GATHER / AROUND THIS ‘BATTLEFIELD CROSS’ TO MEMORIALIZE / THEIR FALLEN COMRADES.
[Large front inscription] WHEN A SERVICEMAN OR WOMAN IS KILLED ON THE BATTLEFIELD, IT / HAS BECOME CUSTOMARY TO ARRANGE THEIR RIFLE / POINTING DOWNWARD ALONG WITH THEIR BOOTS AND HELMET. SURVIVING MEMBERS OF THEIR SQUAD GATHER AND MEMORIALIZE / THEIR FALLEN COMRADE. SOME OF THE TROOPS WILL PRAY, OTHERS / WILL RECALL PERSONAL STORIES DURING THIS CEREMONY THAT IS / TAKEN VERY SERIOUS. WHEN A RIFLE WITH BAYONET IS DOWNWARD / INTO THE GROUND, IT IS A MEMORIAL OF A SOLDIER KILLED IN ACTION TO PAY / TRIBUTE TO OUR FRIEND AND HERO. DOG TAGS IDENTIFY THE / SOLDIER’S NAME SO HE OR SHE WILL NEVER BE FORGOTTEN. THE / HELMET IS ALSO A SYMBOL OF THIS GREAT SACRIFICE. COMBAT / BOOTS REPRESENT FINAL MARCH OF THE SOLDIER’S LAST BATTLE.
Confederate Soldiers Memorial: [Front] 1861 1865 / ERECTED IN 1930, BY THE PEE DEE GUARDS / CHAPTER OF THE UNITED DAUGHTERS / OF THE CONFEDERACY OF RICHMOND / COUNTY, IN LOVING MEMORY OF OUR / CONFEDERATE SOLDIERS [Rear] 1861 1865 / LEST WE FORGET
9-11 stone: IN MEMORY OF / 9-11-01 / NEVER FORGET
Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 4203
November 10, 2000
34.935290 , -79.778010
View in Geobrowse
"Confederate Soldiers Memorial, Rockingham, Richmond County," The Historical Marker Database, HMdb.org (accessed August 4, 2014) Link
Testor, Brandon and Stone, Gavin. “Confederate Monument to Be Moved to VFW Memorial Park,” Daily Journal (Rockingham, NC), August 17, 2020, yourdailyjournal.com, (accessed September 6, 2020) Link
“Richmond County Iraq & Afghanistan War Memorial, The Historical Marker Database, HMdb.org, (accessed February 10, 2023) Link
“Richmond County Korean War Memorial,” The Historical Marker Database, HMdb.org, (accessed February 10, 2023) Link
“Richmond County Veterans Memorial,” The Historical Marker Database, HMdb.org, (accessed February 8, 2023) Link
“Richmond County Vietnam War Memorial,” The Historical Marker Database, HMdb.org, (accessed February 10, 2023) Link
“Richmond County War Memorial,” The Historical Marker Database, HMdb.org, (accessed February 10, 2023) Link
“Spec Corey Francis “Yank” Gibbon, Jr.,” Find A Grave, findagrave.com, (accessed February 10, 2023) Link
“World War II Memorial,” The Historical Marker Database, HMdb.org, (accessed February 10, 2023) Link
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Granite, Stone, Concrete, Bronze, Wood
Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 4203
Read more about the relocation of the Confederate Soldiers Memorial to the Richmond County Veterans Memorial Park.
The Richmond County Veterans Memorial Park is located across the street from Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 4203, at 106 Old River Rd., Rockingham, NC.
The Richmond County Veterans Memorial Park is an open lawn with wooded backdrop and scattered trees near the entry walkway. Nine other memorials stand in the park. Also present are several commemorative benches, flagpoles, plaques and over a dozen rows of crosses with commemorative stones that fill much of the space.
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