Template:Did you know nominations/Alaska Veterans Memorial

The following discussion is an archived discussion of the DYK nomination of the article below. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as this nomination's talk page, the article's talk page or Wikipedia talk:Did you know), unless there is consensus to re-open the discussion at this page. No further edits should be made to this page.

The result was: promoted by Allen3 ^talk 17:10, 5 October 2011 (UTC)

Alaska Veterans Memorial

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... that the Alaska Veterans Memorial honors all the main branches of the United States Armed Forces, as well as the Merchant Marine and the Alaska Territorial Guard?

Comment: have several other images that could be used

Created/expanded by Beeblebrox (talk). Self nom at 22:58, 20 September 2011 (UTC)

Reviewed: Template:Did you know nominations/Araneus mitificus Beeblebrox (talk) 15:45, 21 September 2011 (UTC)

Hook review
Format	Citation	Neutrality	Interest
Crisco 1492 (talk)		Crisco 1492 (talk)	Crisco 1492 (talk)

Article review
Length	Newness	Adequate citations	Formatted citations	Reliable sources	Neutrality	Plagiarism
Crisco 1492 (talk)	Crisco 1492 (talk)		Crisco 1492 (talk)		Crisco 1492 (talk)	Fine Crisco 1492 (talk)

Needs more references from RS to show notability. Almost everything is to first-party sources, which cannot be used to show the topic passes the general notability guidelines. Aside from that, the fact about the Alaska territorial guard being honoured there is uncited. Crisco 1492 (talk) 07:35, 28 September 2011 (UTC)

Been working on that, but the Memorial was dedicated in 1984, and Fairbanks now has their Veteran's Memorial Park, which seems to get more all the more recent press attention because it is actually located in a city, whereas this memorial is deliberately out in the middle of the wilderness, which is what is so unique about it. Unfortunately nobody in Alaska seems to have gotten around to putting stories from 1984 online yet. The governor at the time was a veteran and dedicated the site personally, I'm quite certain there was substantial press attention at that time, but it's not "linkable." As for the Territorial Guard, that onformation is from the memorial itself and can be seen here. I'll look again for some more sources. Beeblebrox (talk) 15:28, 28 September 2011 (UTC)

Offline sources are fine, don't worry about that. The important thing is that they exist and are cited. Crisco 1492 (talk) 23:16, 28 September 2011 (UTC)

That's kind of the problem. The construction and the governor's dedication of the site certainly would have been reported in both the Anchorage Daily News and the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner at the very least, but hardcopies from 1983-4 are only going to be available at a major library. The closest one of those to where I live would be the Loussac Library in Anchorage, about 250 miles away. I'm quite surprised at how little attention this site has gotten in recent years, one story I found was all about how they erected a statue honoring the Territorial Guard up in Fairbanks, with comments about how they "finally got some recognition" when there is a large plaque and the granite sculpture at the entrance honoring them at this site, which apparently everyone forgot about. I'll keep looking though. Beeblebrox (talk) 00:05, 29 September 2011 (UTC)

Good luck! We don't have nearly enough Alaska articles in DYK. Crisco 1492 (talk) 08:18, 29 September 2011 (UTC)

So, I brought this up at WP:N/N, and it looks like a consensus was reached there to remove the {{notability}} tag. Is there anything else with the hook that needs doing? Beeblebrox (talk) 03:35, 30 September 2011 (UTC)

Glad it came out that way (I wasn't going to AFD it, so those worries were unfounded). Format the Alaska 101 and Alaska Geographic references a bit better (publisher, date accessed, etc.) and this is good to go. Crisco 1492 (talk) 09:33, 30 September 2011 (UTC)

Done. Beeblebrox (talk) 17:28, 30 September 2011 (UTC)

Good to go! AGF on offline sources. Crisco 1492 (talk) 00:02, 1 October 2011 (UTC)

More can be written about the Alaska Veterans Memorial. Please hold this article for a few more days. ~~The article exclusively uses primary sources.~~ Through NewsBank, I have been able to find secondary sources about the memorial. Cunard (talk) 10:08, 1 October 2011 (UTC)

http://www.adn.com/2010/03/22/v-printer/1195020/former-state-senator-assemblyman.html^WebCite (Anchorage Daily News: March 22, 2010) – "On the Assembly [Bradley] sponsored legislation for the construction of the Anchorage Veterans Memorial in Delaney Park and legislation that established the first Municipality of Anchorage Veterans Affairs Commission."
Perhaps discuss the role of "Wray E. 'Brad' Bradley, former state senator and former Anchorage assemblyman" in establishing the memorial.
http://docs.newsbank.com/s/InfoWeb/aggdocs/AWNB/0ED3CE889030D65F/0D7C12F5A8A2A86A^WebCite (The Dallas Morning News: August 3, 1986) –
On the drive south from Denali, an impressive sidelight of another vein is the Alaska Veterans Memorial , 147 miles from Anchorage. Doubtless most tourists zoom right by it, hidden behind trees as it is on the east side of the road, as just another rest area with toilets, picnic tables and water pump.
This concrete memorial of five upright slabs and a statue in tribute to the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard as well as Alaska National Guard reads, in part: "We dedicate this quiet place to the remembrance of the Veterans of Alaska who served their country at home and throughout the world. We honor their heroism and dedication.'
Traveler [sic] who take a moment out to walk up the few yards to read the markers find an additional reward when they turn around, looking west, to return to the bus or car. There in all its glory, framed by the memorial's foliage, looms lofty Mount McKinley -- on a clear day, of course.

Perhaps discuss how journalist Karen Jordan calls the memorial an "an impressive sidelight of another vein" and use this source for verification place of the primary sources.
http://docs.newsbank.com/s/InfoWeb/aggdocs/AWNB/12D77BB150144988/0D7C12F5A8A2A86A^WebCite (Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman: November 15, 2001) – "During a special tribute to Alaska's veterans before the Anchorage Chamber of Commerce on Monday, Gov. Tony Knowles called 2002 the "Year of the Veteran," and announced he would introduce legislation next session to create an Alaska Veterans Memorial Endowment ..."
The Alaska Veterans Memorial Endowment is not mentioned in the article but would be a worthy addition.
http://docs.newsbank.com/s/InfoWeb/aggdocs/AWNB/12D77BB4B450E608/0D7C12F5A8A2A86A^WebCite (Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman: July 16, 2002) – "After you have had an opportunity to enjoy the great outdoors, learn about the history of the military in Alaska and the heroes honored at the Alaska Veterans Memorial . The memorial is adjacent to the Byers Lake Campground and consists of five free-standing pillars representing each branch of the armed forces. Read about the amazing stories of those who fought in Alaska and spend a solemn moment as you gaze out onto the Alaska Range ..."
The discussion about the memorial's features will be a nice addition to the article.
http://docs.newsbank.com/s/InfoWeb/aggdocs/AWNB/12D77BD9D70D17B0/0D7C12F5A8A2A86A (Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman: August 17, 2007) – "Houston was home to James L. Bondsteel, who was a soldier that served during the Vietnam War, where he earned the Medal of Honor. Bondsteel passed away in 1987, but a monument to him stands at the State of Alaska Veterans Memorial at Byers Lake in remembrance of the Houston hero. "
Perhaps you can mention James Leroy Bondsteel in the article?
http://docs.newsbank.com/s/InfoWeb/aggdocs/AWNB/11390C5B2881B870/0D7C12F5A8A2A86A^WebCite (Anchorage Daily News: August 13, 2006) – "While on military affairs, Forest Brooks of Eagle River is a man on a mission. His goal: to build an Alaska Veterans Memorial Museum that will honor Alaskans who have served in uniform, be a place where the public can learn about contributions of the military to Alaska, and to provide various support programs for those on active duty and former servicemen and women. Brooks, a civilian with the Army Corps of Engineers, is a co-founder of the museum board and has served as secretary since it was organized four years ago."
A mention about the proposed Alaska Veterans Memorial Museum will be good addition.
http://docs.newsbank.com/s/InfoWeb/aggdocs/AWNB/102DA3B5D41533FE/0D7C12F5A8A2A86A^WebCite (Anchorage Daily News: May 27, 2004) – "The memorial, dedicated in 1984, includes various monuments, such as 20-foot-tall concrete panels representing the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard branches of the U.S. military."
Perhaps use this source as verification in place of the primary sources.
http://docs.newsbank.com/s/InfoWeb/aggdocs/AWNB/102F4AC6733148EA/0D7C12F5A8A2A86A^WebCite (Anchorage Daily News: May 31, 2004) – "Former Lt. Gov. and WWII combat veteran Red Boucher saluted the crowd Sunday afternoon during a Memorial Day observance at the Alaska Veterans Memorial near Byers Lake on the Parks Highway."
Red Boucher can be mentioned as a dignitary who appeared at the 2004 Memorial Day observance.
http://docs.newsbank.com/s/InfoWeb/aggdocs/AWNB/10A7436BB40AE1ED/0D7C12F5A8A2A86A^WebCite (Anchorage Daily News: May 30, 2005) – "U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens speaks to a crowd of more than 700 people Sunday afternoon during a Memorial Day weekend ceremony at the Alaska Veterans Memorial at Byers Lake, off the Parks Highway. The Alaska Vietnam Veterans Motorcycle Club has sponsored the event for the past 18 years."
Ted Stevens can be mentioned as a dignitary who attended the 2005 Memorial Day observance.
http://docs.newsbank.com/s/InfoWeb/aggdocs/AWNB/12D77BA6D5B845B0/0D7C12F5A8A2A86A^WebCite (Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman: May 28, 2009) At the portal of the Veteran’s Memorial lies a stone likeness of two parka-clad members of the Alaska Territorial Guard, watching over the landscape with a pair of binoculars.
The description of one of the memorial's features can be added to the article.

You may disagree with some of my proposed additions, but I believe these additions will significantly enhance the article. Cunard (talk) 10:08, 1 October 2011 (UTC)

Additionally, this Google Books search may provide more sources about the memorial. One example I found is Encyclopedia of the Veteran in America, Volume 1 by William Pencak. Cunard (talk) 10:16, 1 October 2011 (UTC)

http://www.alaska101.com/exploreAlaska/denalisp/alaska_travel_denalisp.htm, a travel guide website, should probably be replaced by another source. Cunard (talk) 10:21, 1 October 2011 (UTC)

For the record, it does not exclusively use primary sources. The Milepost is not online, but is a solid reliable source, so I'm not going to worry too much about more refs that duplicate material I got there, I think WP:V on the basic layout of the memorial is more than met. I'll see what I can use from all this. Beeblebrox (talk) 19:59, 1 October 2011 (UTC)

My apologies for the error. I've stricken out the inaccurate sentence. Cunard (talk) 20:48, 1 October 2011 (UTC)

The article is ready for the main page after Beeblebrox's additions. Cunard (talk) 03:18, 5 October 2011 (UTC)

Almost forgot: No FOP for statues in the US, so this image seems to be a non-free derivative work (probably). Crisco 1492 (talk) 07:35, 5 October 2011 (UTC)