Eighty-year-old Charles “Uncle Charlie” Hicks has built a monument to war veterans just off Route 66 south of Oatman, Ariz., reported the Mojave Daily News.
There, on a high ridge of cliffs just off of Mile Marker 21, you’ll see an American flag blowing in the breeze. Next to it is a small stone monument to America’s fallen veterans […]
The memorial, which consists of two stone pedestals and a series of stairs, was almost single-handedly built by Charles “Uncle Charlie” Hicks, a local 80-year-old veteran who himself served in the Korean War. […]
[I]n late 2009, he decided to build a memorial for his late brother-in-law, World War II veteran Joe Van Landingham, who had died several years prior. It wasn’t until he finished the memorial in March of 2010, however, that Hicks decided to rededicate it to all U.S. veterans, with a special shout out to his fellow Korean War vets, many of whom died so that he and so many others might live. […]
The memorial is constructed almost entirely of rocks that Hicks salvaged from the surrounding desert, which he cemented together using nearly 18 bags of cement. On top of the pedestal, he also cemented in several pieces of ammunition he’s collected ovoer the years, each corresponding to a different American conflict: the Civil War, the Spanish-American War, World Wars I and II, and Vietnam. He said the initial pedestal took about three months to complete, but he has since continued to add to it, first constructing the stairs leading up to the memorial, then adding a second pedestal to house a lockbox for cash donations, which he said started showing up spontaneously shortly after he completed the first pedestal.
Ellen DeLong at the Ocotillo Gallery in Oatman said many Route 66 travelers have mentioned visiting the memorial.
The memorial is just off Route 66, about 1.5 miles south of Boundary Cone Road. The dirt road leading to the memorial is on the right going south, almost directly across from mile marker 21.
Ron, some background on Uncle Charlie. He comes from OK and goes back to visit his daughter often stopping at roadside attractions. He was the boyfriend of Jackie Rowland of FastFanny in Oatman for a number of years. Together they attended many Route 66 events in AZ & CA.
He also dons his guns to dual in the streets of Oatman.
A truly GREAT roadie and friend.
some SOB has destroyed it. There is nothing but rubble now. I am so sorry for those that put it together and those that never saw it. It always make my heart swell when I visited it.
Found the remains of this memorial by chance while camping nearby. There’s still 16-18 crosses on top of the massive rock formation. At first I’d heard that a plane went down there, then a guy in a Jeep told me of “Uncle Charlie” and the memorial he made here. After speaking with the gentleman, I found this site. As a side note, I found several other crosses and small memorials along the same ridge of massive bolders. This place is not only very beautiful and majestic, it FEELS like ‘Sacred Ground’…