This photo of Admiral Ernest J. King laying the cornerstone of the Lakeview Park memorial to Lorain men and women of the armed forces appeared on the front of the Lorain Journal on the Monday, August 31, 1942 edition (shown in my previous blog entry.)
The caption of the photo read, "Solemnly declaring that many more names would be added to roll to be inscribed on the shaft, Admiral Ernest J. King lays the cornerstone of a war memorial dedicated to Lorain men and women in service during the last war and the present conflict. Predicting a long and costly war, the "Cominch" (commander-in-chief) said he could offer nothing but "blood and sweat, toil and tears," as he dedicated the shaft that will memorialize Lorain's sons and daughters who are serving their country."
During the ceremony, Admiral King noted, "Unfortunately, there will be many names inscribed on this shaft. For this will be a long war, a long war and a costly one."
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I'd forgotten all about this monument through the years, and decided to stop at Lakeview Park a few weeks ago on a Sunday morning and check it out. I was surprised to see that there were no names on the shaft. I guess the original intention was to honor the fallen soldiers with their names on the shaft, but I can imagine that it would have been a difficult task to coordinate.
Nevertheless, it is a wonderful memorial to Lorain's fighting men and women, as well as one of the few permanent landmarks honoring Admiral Ernest J. King in the city of Lorain. My recent photographs are below. (Click on each for a larger view.)
