doughboy monument at debardeleben park

This monument stands as a tribute to our Fighting Men & Women, who payed the ultimate price for OUR freedom.Even tho it was cast in early 20"s, the spirit and meaning of this life-size monument is the same now For all wars and police actions.

The Spirit of the American Doughboy is a life-size copper sculpture of a World War I "Doughboy" soldier standing at the crest of a barricade with a rifle in his left hand and a grenade in his raised right hand. Created by Ernest Moore "Dick" Viquesney of Americus, Georgia, There are around 140 in several U.S. cities, including Birmingham, Bessemer and Anniston in Alabama. Viquesney's original is in Nashville, Georgia.Bessemer's statue was originally dedicated on Armistice Day (November 11), 1922. It sits on a sandstone perch in DeBardeleben Park. It was moved there from the corner of 19th Street and Carolina Avenue during a street-widening project in 1969. There are four plaques. The primary inscription reads: "To the memory of our World War heroes who died that civilization might not perish from the earth." The left side bears the names of 30 soldiers who died during the war. The right side contains 14 more names, of "colored" soldiers who met the same fate. The rear plaque notes the sculptor and acknowledges a 1999 restoration, "So that future generations may remember the struggles and bloodshed that preceding generations endured to protect the peace and liberties we hold dear." It was once thought that this Doughboy statue was mearly one of many copies that were made during the heyday of the post WW1 & later WW2 periods. The "rediscovery" that Bessemer had an original Viquesney took place in 1992. Seven years later, with funds from the City of Bessemer and the State of Alabama Historical Park and Historical Site Maintenance Program, the Karkadoulias Bronze Art Company of Cincinnati, Ohio was hired to restore the work at their studios. The statue was reinstalled on November 11, 1999. Retired Admiral Lee Bains delivered a keynote address. It's asthetic as well as historical significance is unmatched in my opinion.