Downtown in Anchorage, Alaska — Northwest (North America)

The Freedom Tree

Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., August 12, 2024

1. The Freedom Tree Marker

Inscription.
With the vision of universal freedom
for all mankind
this tree is dedicated to
Spec. 4 Richard Bauer
and all
Prisoners of War
and
Missing in Action

Erected 1972.

Topics and series. This memorial is listed in these topic lists: Patriots & Patriotism • Peace • War, Vietnam. In addition, it is included in the The Freedom Tree series list.

Location. 61° 12.793′ N, 149° 54.21′ W. Memorial is in Anchorage, Alaska. It is in Downtown. It is on L Street south of 9th Avenue, on the left when traveling south. Marker and tree are included in the Martin Luther King, Jr. Living Memorial in Delaney Park. Touch for map. Memorial is at or near this postal address: 951 L St, Anchorage AK 99501, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this memorial is in the Alaska Railroad Corridor,

in the Athabascan Region,

in the Prince William Sound,

and in Southcentral Alaska.

It is also on the American Pacific Coast.

Globally, it is in North America,

on the Ring of Fire,

in the Pacific Rim,

in the Western Hemisphere,

in the Western World,

and

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in the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Russian Empire.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Martin Luther King, Jr. Living Memorial (a few steps from this marker); Veterans Memorial (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); Anchorage Veterans Memorial (about 500 feet away); Combat Wounded Veterans (about 500 feet away); Alaskan Roll of Honored Dead (about 600 feet away); a different marker also named Anchorage Veterans Memorial (about 600 feet away); Oscar Gill House (approx. 0.2 miles away); Commemorating the Visit of Pope John Paul II (approx. 0.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Anchorage.

Regarding The Freedom Tree. On September 5, 1973, the Central Identification Laboratory-Thailand (CILTHAI, now DPAA) identified the remains of Specialist 5 Richard Gene Bauer, missing from the Vietnam War. Specialist 5 Bauer entered the U.S. Army from Alaska and was a member of the 155th Aviation Company. On November 4, 1969, he was a passenger aboard a UH-1H Iroquois (tail number 68-16057) on a routine administrative flight

The Freedom Tree and Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., August 12, 2024

2. The Freedom Tree and Marker

L Street in background

over central Vietnam. The flight encountered inclement weather while over Lam Dong Province and crashed, killing SP5 Bauer. A ground search team was unable to locate the crash site and SP5 Bauer's remains could not be recovered at the time. In 1973, U.S. investigators located the crash site and recovered personal artifacts, aircraft wreckage, and human remains, and were able to identify SP5 Bauer from the remains. Specialist 5 Bauer is memorialized in the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. His name is also inscribed along with all his fallen comrades on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington, DC.

Also see . . . Richard Gene Bauer at Find A Grave. (Submitted on August 14, 2024, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.)

Credits. This page was last revised on August 14, 2024. It was originally submitted on August 14, 2024, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio. This page has been viewed 240 times since then and 8 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on August 14, 2024, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.