I am deeply touched by a cartoony bear as I stand near a cemetery facing Route 73 in Boyertown, in the rain during this week of Independence Day, watching water drip from the saluting figure's face.
On the border of Berks County, the highway becomes Philadelphia Avenue as I drive into Boyertown. It's here where I notice one of downtown's many artfully decorated "Bear Fever" fiberglass bears - the kind of public-art display that began with a 1998 fiberglass cow exhibit in Switzerland and in this country with Chicago's "Cows on Parade" in 1999.
Over the years there have been giant frogs in Toledo, race horses in Lexington, baseball bats in Cincinnati, and guitars in Nashville. Around here, I've seen the recent zoo animals in Chestnut Hill and Moorestown's Nippers.
So I admit seeing the bears didn't get me to pull over. Until the Fairview Cemetery on the edge of town. There I see a bear in military camo, standing upright in an erect salute. I have seen and photographed many memorial ceremonies and monuments, but this one got to me.
The bear's name-tag and dog tags say Zimmerman, but the plaque reads "...May this 'Military Bear' honor all Boyertown veterans, although separated by generations, shared a common undeniable goal..."
Army Pfc. Travis C. Zimmerman is a 19 year-old 2005 Boyertown High School graduate who was killed April 22, 2006 by an improvised explosive device while conducting combat reconnaissance operations in Baghdad. The quote next to his senior yearbook photo said he planned to join the Army after graduation.
The Reading Eagle reported that when sifting through Travis' belongings, his father Lloyd Zimmerman discovered that his son had saved the front page of a newspaper from the day after the Sept. 11 terror attacks. "That must be when he resolved to make a stand," he told Eagle reporter Jason Brudereck at the funeral.
Zimmerman's senior classmates raised the money for his bear last year, honoring all men and women from the Boyertown area who died in service to their country. It was completed in time for the town's 5th anniversary commemoration of 9-11 last September and installed this past Memorial Day.
Comments (3)
Tom,
Thank you so much for your piece on Boyertown's Travis Zimmerman Memorial Bear. Your photos are great--and not just of our bear. I really enjoyed your entire blog.
Re: G.I.Joe--another touching feature is the tattoo on the bear's uplifted arm. It bears the name of the young lady who began the effort to raise money for the bear: Scarlett. She inspired our entire community and especially her family who organized the entire effort to get the bear in place for our most recent community Memorial Day ceremony.
Again, thanks for your work; I'll share it with everyone I know! ~jane
Posted by jane stahl | July 10, 2007 2:16 PM
Posted on July 10, 2007 14:16
Thanks Jane, I DID notice the heart tattoo -- along with the detailed dog tags showing D.O.B. 10/26/1986 and D.O.D. 04/22/2006.
I stood there studying his bear for quite a while there in the rain.
Posted by TomG | July 10, 2007 2:55 PM
Posted on July 10, 2007 14:55
Having my cousin around was always great, but now that he's gone, It's hard to see his picture and not cry. He shared his birthday with my younger brother Joseph, and my Grandfather Lloyd, it is especially difficult for them, because of the bond they share. If it weren't for all the people showing their support to my family, I don't know how we would have coped. I would like to (on behalf of my family) say God Bless you all!
Posted by Rachell Zimmerman | October 29, 2007 5:19 AM
Posted on October 29, 2007 05:19