War Monuments as History Lessons

Shortly before Memorial Day, the mystery photo used in Patch’s “” was the Vietnam War Memorial that sits in front of and is emblazoned with the names of Redwood City men who died in that conflict. The picture caught my eye because I know relatives of two of the menlisted on the monument.

Only two readers who responded knew the exact location. I thought this was a sad situation, particularly coming around and when the nation’s war dead are remembered. I went to City Hall to find out more information about war memorials in the area and was even more surprised when the receptionist told me she had no idea what the memorial was for.

Does San Mateo County have a collection of war and remembrance? Yes. In Redwood City alone the list includes three monuments in front of City Hall, two , a World War II tank at Mezes Park, and, of course, .

Other area reminders of service and sacrifice include Memorial Park in La Honda, dedicated on July 4, 1924 as a living monument to San Mateo County’s dead in what was then simply called The Great War or the World War. At Coyote Point, there’s a monument recalling the merchant marine officers who trained there in World War II.

Serra High School in San Mateo has a wall of remembrance that lists the school’s veterans. San Mateo’s Library has a display that tells a rare story – that the city was alone in holding a welcome home parade during the Vietnam War. And the museum in Daly City has an exhibit about the weird vanishing of the crew of a World War II blimp.

In addition to the Vietnam War, the monuments at Redwood City’s City Hall, all large rock slabs adorned with plaques, remind passersby of sacrifices made in World War II and the Korean conflict. The World War II plaque lists the names of the 42 men from Redwood City, a town with a population of only 12,400 in 1940. In much bigger lettering, the Vietnam War memorial lists 15 names from a city that had 55,686 residents in the census of 1970. 

Off to the side in what seems an afterthought is a piece of granite dedicated to those who fought in the Korean War. There are no names listed on what the memorial calls “The Forgotten War.”

There is no monument to World War I at City Hall, but the names of two of the 10 Redwood City men who died in World War I are engraved on the six foot tall, 54-inch wide gray granite monument at Sequoia High School that lists the school’s alumni who died while serving in the armed forces.

Unlike the monuments at City Hall, the Sequoia one does not break down deaths into conflicts. The huge monument was not the first at Sequoia High. Nearby is a plaque the class of 1955 dedicated to those “who gave their lives in the service of their country.” The plaque rests on a stone donated by the class of 1962.