A collection of three monuments honoring service in the two World Wars and Korea stand in front of Wallingford’s town hall.
The World War I monument features two large bronze plaques, each with three columns listing local residents who fought in the conflict. The middle panel bears a dedication “in honor and in memory of those men and women of Wallingford who fought in the World War 1917-1918.”
The middle panel also bears a bronze bas relief plaque with marching soldiers and sailors, three of whom are carrying American flags. The monument is stopped with a large bronze eagle.
The town’s World War II monument stands next to the World War I, and features seven plaques, each with three columns of names. The monument is undated, but appears to be of fairly recent vintage. A bronze eagle atop the monument was donated by local veterans’ organizations in 2001.
A separate monument to the Korean War stands near the World War II monument. The Korean War monument has six bronze plaques, also with three columns listing local residents who served in the conflict. The monument also has five round plaques with the emblems of the country’s military service branches.
A separate plaque just below an eagle topping the monument lists the names of six residents killed in the Korean War.
Wallingford’s construction of a separate Korean War monument is relatively uncommon, with many towns in the state including the Korean and Vietnam wars on a joint memorial.
Tags: Wallingford