This Central Valley community salutes military veterans with unique sculptures

The first thing one notices when looking up at the five sculptures that are The Five Pillars of Freedom tribute to each branch of the U.S. military is that one can’t see all of them at once.

That’s because the $1 million unique sculptures use metal slats that are separated about an inch from each other to form the 12-foot-tall images that were unveiled at 3-week-old Gateway Park last Saturday.

One statue will always be invisible.

It was meant that way, said sculptors Paul West and Tylur French of Memphis-based Youngblood Studio..

“They seem solid from most angles, but every once in a while they turn transparent,” said French. “That was the goal. We designed it to embody that sense of loss, and the parts of those people that still remain with you if you’ve lost somebody like in the line of duty.”

West, who has created “dozens of more memorials in 20 different states,” said none of them “are like this.”

Former Marine Corps Cpl. Arthur Escobedo loves the statues.

“It’s nice. It has a different statue representing each branch of the service,” said Escobedo, who served in the Gulf War. “Coming from a small town, it’s really nice to have something like this.”

Escobedo, 55, lives in Corcoran and works at a state prison in nearby Kern County.

The statues honoring the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and Coast Guard face out from the Star of Freedom at the park. Each sculpture was based on a real veteran, and two of them are female.

Spotlights will shine on the statues, which will be visible to travelers on Highway 43 and those on Amtrak trains that whiz by parallel to the roadway.

High speed rail donated $1 million for the monument

“These soldiers are going to be on point, on guard, and they’re telling you, ‘Enjoy the freedom. We’re on post,” said Kings County Supervisor Richard Valle, who spearheaded the project.

The High Speed Rail Authority provided a $1 million grant for the project.

“I believe this is the only monument in the United States where the Marine is represented by a woman,” said Valle, who insisted that women be included because he saw female Marines “fight like hell” when he was a Marine in 1993-96.

Another woman represents the Navy on The Five Pillars of Freedom. A Latino and an African American are also represented.

Valle said the high speed rail alignment resulted in a need for “Corcoran to be beautified.”

“We approached the High Speed Rail Authority with an idea, and they were more than happy to fund it,” said Valle, whose district includes Corcoran.

He located the Memphis artists. “They came up with a concept that you see today that is unlike any other memorial in the U.S.”

Monterey County Supervisor Luis Alejo drove three hours to attend the festivities. He approved of the veterans’ monument.

“Being a son of a Vietnam-era veteran, this is really touching,” said Alejo. “We know that so much work and planning and a vision went into this beautiful monument that will now be here forever.

“This is a proper tribute.”

Tom Richards, chair of the high speed rail board, said Corcoran “is what America is really about.”

“I can’t imagine an event like this occurring in a big city across America,” said Richards, who predicts the monument will draw people from throughout the country. “This is nothing like this veterans memorial in the country except in Washington, D.C.”

Marine Corps commandant Randall Clemmons, one of three keynote speakers, noted that monuments, memorials and statues are designed to honor “someone notable … or to remember a deceased person who died in an important past event.”

“All can be applied here,” said Clemmons. “But there is one more that applies to a pillar. A pillar is a tall, vertical structure or statue of wood, stone or metal used to support a building or something that needs support.

“As a United States Marine veteran and on behalf of all veterans in the future, when you see this park, know that we need your support.”