Veterans Day 11/11/11: Chicago South Side's Victory Monument

I believe the most artistically significant of Chicago's veterans tributes is the Victory Memorial on Martin Luther King Drive and 35th Street on the South Side. It salutes members of the Eighth Regiment of the Illinois National Guard, an African-American unit that fought in France during World War I. Of those who served, 137 made the ultimate sacrifice.

In my picture only one bronze panel is shown. The monument, which was erected in 1927, has three others, each were the work of Leonard Crunelle, a onetime coal miner.

The doughboy was added nine years later, the memorial was added to the US Register of Historical Places in 1986.

Until the end of the Second World War, 35th and what is now King Drive was the heart of Chicago's black community, known as Bronzeville. If you are in the area, perhaps at a White Sox game, visit this gem.

And always remember our troops.

Related posts:

• Veterans Day 11/11/11: Henry, IL
• Veterans Day 11/11/11: Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Skokie, IL
• Veterans Day 11/11/11: Morrison, IL memorial and millstone
• 11/11/11: Monmouth, IL veterans monuments
• Veterans Day 11/11/11: World War II Memorial
• Stephen A. Douglas Tomb in Chicago

Technorati tags: america usa history Illinois armed forces patriotism military heroism veterans day veterans armed forces photos photography african-american France française World War I