BY NIKKI BURKHAMER
Examiner Contributor
It was a labor of love from the group of volunteers who made Saturday’s Veteran Monument dedication ceremony at Mary Rutan Park come to fruition. Donations for this project totaled more than $50,000 and were gathered from our supportive community.
The beautiful, black marble monument includes “The Pledge of Allegiance” and “The Military Oath” — the very oath that those who swear into the military give as they enter into their years of service. In addition, all branches of The United States Military are displayed and pavers that represent the more current wars and conflicts that have occurred since 9/11 surround the monument.
The monument keepers plan to add any future events to the already placed pavers in order to continue to bring attention, honor and reverence to those who not only have served, but are serving, and for those who will continue serving in the future.
Anthony Sims, a supportive community member, sang the “National Anthem.” The American Legion Harold Kerr Post 173 Color Guard presented and posted the colors, and David Lamb, a veteran of the U.S. Army, and Tim Shaw, a United States Marine veteran, served together as master of ceremonies. Navy Veteran Shelley Kneece led the gathering in prayer before the festivities began.
“Almighty God, we gather today to dedicate this monument,” she prayed. “A testament to the courage sacrifice and unwavering service of our veterans. We thank you for these men and women who bravely defended our nation, often at great personal cost, and for their commitment to serving our country.”
Retired Sergeant Major Michael Binkley, who served in the U.Se. Army for 26 years, was the guest speaker for the event. He spoke of the importance of remembering that most of those who have lost their lives while serving this country are around 19 years old.
He encouraged the audience to think of all what they’d miss out on, from yearly Thanksgiving dinners to walking their daughter down the aisle, if it weren’t for these service member sacrifices
“So, sometimes when you’re having a cookout and a barbecue at home, just take a couple of minutes and remember the people that gave their all. They died for our country. Say a prayer to God that they will be remembered and never forgotten,” Binkley urged.
When Lamb and the fellow volunteers sat down to begin brainstorming about ways to commemorate local service members, he said they decided to look into building a monument that would celebrate all veterans, including current service men and women.
“The inspiration came from when I went on all the trips with the Logan County Vets to D.C. Then, sadly, the trips to D.C. ended.
“The volunteers and I have the passion of helping veterans, in any way we can. There was nothing for the newer generations. We thought, ‘What are we going to do now?’ So, I sat down one night, and I just wondered what the odds were of doing a monument.
Lamb said the group then talked to the city, who was “fabulously supportive” and then the volunteers started to fundraise in February.
“The community thought it was a great idea and was all for it. It blew me away with all the support we had. And, it just means so much that it’s finally done. It looks gorgeous. If anybody hasn’t seen it, they need to come up,” he said.
Lamb’s wife, Stephanie, who helped to support him with the project added, “We are hoping this will be a learning tool. Because, so often in this day and age, a lot of parents and grandparents do not teach their children the importance of honoring our military. We thought it would be a great teaching tool for them, and lots of people don’t even know about veterans suicide, which is a more common occurrence than what we would like it to be.
“This will be a good spot to start and just have a conversation with their children and say, ‘Listen. This is what our service men and women do for our country to keep us safe so that we can sleep in our beds at night and feel safe and not have to worry.”
“I find that kids in school don’t know enough about what our veterans have done for our country, and once you begin to talk to them about it, they become very impressed,” featured speaker Binkley agreed. “They want to know more. They want to learn.”
Fred Brackney was responsible for many of the volunteer hours that were needed to accomplish this special project. A Vietnam veteran, himself, Fred feels that it is his privilege to do anything he can to support and commemorate those who serve our country in the military.
“I made it home, safely, and I’m just giving back because I can. I’ve been on the trips to Washington, D.C., and I thought, why in the heck do people have to wait till they’re so old to have a monument in recognition for their service to the country. So, let’s appreciate all veterans, including those who are currently serving.”
This monument meant to encourage and commemorate our veterans and current service men and women is there for all to enjoy. It was proudly dedicated to our community by those who seek to support these brave members of our area, and this can inspire us to do the same.
