A Reflection on a memorial in South of South Street

During our escapade through South of South Street, John, Gabbi, and I were taken a back by various murals, unique architecture, and a vibrant religious presence of all different faiths. However out of all these magnificent indications of culture and art, the Doyle-Gerszewski Veterans of Foreign Wars Department 8051 memorial seemed to draw a significant amount of our attention.

Located on Front and Queen Street, the Doyle-Gerszewski’s memorial is somewhat out of place against the typical background of cement and steel that is the I-95 overpass. Normally surrounded by lush green bushes and thick trees, the emerald colored ivy plants are the only contrast to the lifeless brown and gray shrubbery surrounding the memorial.

“Dedicated to our deceased members and to all those who served in the armed services” is engraved in the front of the memorial on a black stone in gold lettering. Across the street the V.F.W. building contains a stone that reads, “Lest we forget, dedicated to the memory of our departed comrades who have answered the last command,” a touching message that is truly significant to our generation now in light of the wars in the Middle East and the many men and women our age who have died to defend America’s honor.

Maybe it was the reality of the War in Iraq or simply the beauty of this stone memorial and the possible history around it,that made this specific location in our neighborhood significant but the Doyle Gerszewski V.F.W has the potential to reveal a lot about our neighborhood and, in the least, the military presence in the lives of the people who live here.

For me this memorial represents the reality of war and that there are real people who fight them. It’s is a symbol of their courage.
Group 16
Gabbi DiPietro, John Casey, and DaVonne Armstrong