Goldsboro in Wayne County, North Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)
The Freedom Tree
Photographed by Mark Parker, February 4, 2025
1. The Freedom Tree Marker
With the vision of universal freedom for all mankind
This tree is dedicated to:
Capt. Peter Cleary
And all prisoners of war and missing in action
1973
Capt. Peter Cleary's remains were recovered and laid to rest in Arlington National Cemetery April 12, 2002
Topics. This memorial is listed in this topic list: War, Vietnam. A significant historical date for this entry is April 12, 2002.
Location. 35° 22.818′ N, 77° 59.896′ W. Memorial is in Goldsboro, North Carolina, in Wayne County. It is at the intersection of South Center Street and West Spruce Street, in the median on South Center Street. Touch for map. Memorial is at or near this postal address: 301 S Center St, Goldsboro NC 27530, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this memorial is in North Carolina’s Coastal Plain and in the Piedmont. It is also in the American South and specifically in the Upper South. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of
this page online
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: They Led the Way (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); Gertrude Weil (approx. 0.2 miles away); Downtown Goldsboro Transformation Story (approx. 0.2 miles away); General Baptist State Convention (approx. 0.2 miles away); First Pentecostal Holiness Church Congregation (approx. Ό mile away); John Lawson (approx. Ό mile away); Company E, 119th Infantry, Goldsboro Rifles World War I Monument (approx. Ό mile away); North Carolina Press Association (approx. Ό mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Goldsboro.
Also see . . .
1. The Wall of Faces: Peter MacArthur Cleary. (Submitted on February 5, 2025, by Mark Parker of Hickory, North Carolina.)
2. Week of October 11. Events surrounding the service of Capt. Peter Cleary
On October 10, 1972, U.S. Air Force Captains Peter M. Cleary and Leonardo Lenny Leonor took off in an F-4E Phantom II on their final mission over North Vietnam. Cleary, a decorated pilot, was due to be rotated home afterward. His Weapons Officer and his best friend, Leonor, had actually returned to Southeast Asia from the Philippines, so that he could be with his friend on his last mission. Flying as a Fast Forward Air Controller (FAC) for a strike in North Vietnam, they completed their mission and radioed that they were returning to base. They never returned. They were later determined to have crashed, dying instantly. Clearys and Leonors remains were not positively identified until 2002. They are buried in Arlington National Cemetery.(Submitted on February 5, 2025, by Mark Parker of Hickory, North Carolina.)
Credits. This page was last revised on February 16, 2025. It was originally submitted on February 5, 2025, by Mark Parker of Hickory, North Carolina. This page has been viewed 281 times since then and 24 times this year. Photo 1. submitted on February 5, 2025, by Mark Parker of Hickory, North Carolina. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.
