You've likely driven past them dozens or even hundreds of times. But do you know what they commemorate and how they got there? In honor of Veterans Day, The Ticker looks at several local, recognizable -- yet largely overlooked -- monuments to those who served.

An M-60 tank stands guard outside the VFW Post 2780 on Veterans Drive, though the post and its members don’t own the Vietnam War era full-tread vehicle.

“It’s not ours,” explains Richard Thibeau, the post quartermaster. “It’s on loan from the U.S. government. U.S. taxpayers paid for it. Every July 15th we have to certify that we still have it and so forth.”

While the origin of the vehicle is a bit of a mystery, the tank has been on-site for about three decades. “The story is that it ran out of gas right where it sits,” says Thibeau.

A few steps from the tank, a large stone holds a bronze marker that reads “This tablet was erected by the people of Grand Traverse region to commemorate the first planting and dedication of trees on Memorial Ave. May 4, 1923. To the honor of all the boys and girls who served in the World War. Promoted by the County Federation of Womens Clubs and Organizations.”

Across town, on the north side of Traverse City’s historic courthouse and on the lawn adjacent to the refurbished “Old Soldier” Civil War Monument, sits a large black cannon. The 100-pounder Parrot Rifled naval cannon served on the U.S.S. Sabine during the Civil War. It’s the only one from that ship that survives today.

The cannon was cast in 1862 at the West Point Foundry in Cold Spring, NY. Its ship, the Sabine, began being built in 1822, but due to a number of factors, was not completed until 1855. It was one of the last two sailing frigates commissioned by the U.S. Navy in 1858. The Sabine served during the Civil War and then was retired from active duty in 1864. She was decommissioned in 1877 and scrapped six years later. The cannon was later bought by Sen. William Alden Smith, who donated it to Grand Traverse County in 1910.

Mere steps from the cannon are a pair of aged metal tablets erected in 1924 through the efforts of the County Federation of Womens Clubs and Organizations. One tablet lists the names of the nine local veterans who lost their lives in the Spanish American War, while the other features 34 names of World War I soldiers who died in the "War to End All Wars."

A short walk west on Washington Street to Cass is American Legion Park, where a granite memorial and flagpole honors veterans. An American Flag and a POW-MIA flag fly over the memorial, where the inscription reads
“American Veteran
Yesterday’s Hero,
Today’s Glory,
Tomorrow’s Exemplar.”
 
The most recent addition to the roster of memorials is the Grand Traverse Area Veterans Memorial at Elmwood Avenue and 11th Street near the Grand Traverse Commons, which was dedicated in 2011.