Veterans Memorial nears completion

By DON ARNDT

The new Veterans Memorial, located just east of Adrian on MO 18 Highway, is really coming along great now with progress seen daily.
The inside of the stone Memorial house is all but done with only some painting to finish up. Much of the work is being done by lots of area volunteers and that list is too numerous to mention. Among some static displays planned, the rock house will hold large photos of soldiers, sailors, and marines in various wars and countries of duty.

We are gaining more volunteers to sell bricks all the time at new locations. The latest addition being Army Veteran Harry Nitchals, owner of The Ballard Feed Store. Everyone in the Ballard area knows that Harry has nearly anything a farmer needs to buy at his store, but now Harry can save those Ballard area folks a trip to Butler or Adrian to purchase a brick for themselves or a loved one. He has the forms and information ready to help anyone wanting to get a brick to remember a vet.

Those living close to the Butler area can go see Kay Wells at Printmaster, The Adrian Bank or Ron Phillips to purchase a brick. For the Rich Hill area, Wayne West is ready with the forms. In Adrian, see Sandy at the Adrian Bank or Erin at the Chamber of Commerce office. Archie folks can buy bricks at the Archie branch of the Adrian Bank.

We have now sold five granite benches to be set along the sidewalks and beside the POW flag pole. Engraved bricks and granite block sales are still brisk, but we still need many more bricks to have funds available to complete all that is planned at the site. We have designed the Memorial so that engraved bricks can be added at anytime for years into the future. Selling these bricks has added an unexpected joy to the project for us. As we take the information to be engraved on the bricks, we are also getting some of the most interesting stories of patriotism, dedication and service to our nation about those that served, and of the spouses left at home during war.

Bricks are only $50.00 each and any veteran of the U.S. military that served at any duty station at anytime is eligible. The special 8x8 blocks discussed earlier are $50.00 also. Peacetime, stateside duty, National Guard, Reserves as well as wartime and overseas veterans, they are all eligible.

There are many veterans that have no family to purchase a memory brick for them. We are accepting donations for the purpose of getting them a brick, too. The Adrian Elks Club has generously purchased bricks for the Civil War Veterans buried at the Crescent Hill Cemetery. It will be such a good thing to be able to include those names, and we thank the Elks for this wonderful gesture. Elks Clubs are very well known for their connection to veterans and this act puts an explanation point to that fact.

We invite folks to drive around the Memorial area and watch the progress being made everyday.

Pictured: Dave Datson of Butler is one part of Chuck Sisk’s crew working on the rock wall that is nearly completed.