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Ready to break ground on Veterans Memorial
By Mary Madewell
Published October 19, 2009
A Veterans Day ground-breaking Wednesday, Nov. 11 is planned for the Red River Valley Veterans Memorial to be located next to the Paris Eiffel Tower on land donated by the City of Paris.
The memorial is to honor veterans from a six-county area including Lamar, Red River, Delta and Fannin in Northeast Texas and Choctaw and McCurtain counties in Southeast Oklahoma.
To date, donations and sales collected for pavers, benches and ornamental trees total $131,784, with an additional $70,000 in pledges from area businesses to be made during the next few years, according to Doug Weiberg, RRVV Memorial committee chairman. In kind donations for services are in excess of $20,000.
“It has been very gratifying to see the positive responses from this community,” Weiberg said. “The Red River Valley Veterans Memorial will be something to be proud of, a place people will want to see and be a part of, and a fitting memorial to those brave soldiers who have gone before or are serving today in all parts of the world keeping us safe.”
A point of interest at the memorial will be a statue of a mother and child, representing families left behind.
“We were humbled and grateful that Chandler and Tristen Hoskins, the widow and son of Sgt. Jay Hoskins, were willing to pose for this statue even while they were still grieving their loss,” Weiberg said.
Sgt. Hoskins was the latest casualty from this community who was killed in action in the War in Afghanistan.
“This will be an impressive memorial, and we hope it will be a peaceful and quiet place for reflection and remembrance. But I think one of the most important goals of this project is the opportunity to educate present and future generations about the importance of service to our country and the sacrifice required to maintain our freedom. Who knows how it might inspire a young person to serve.”
The centerpiece of the 126-foot by 300-foot plot of land will be the Ring of Honor, an elevated ring of granite walls containing the names of area soldiers who died from injuries sustained while in the service of our country, beginning with the Texas Revolution through the present-day War in Afghanistan.
Inside the Ring of Honor will be an illuminated American flag, and surrounding the Ring of Honor will be double-sided granite walls etched with information and graphic depictions of each of 10 wars and conflicts since the Texas Revolution.
Funded with contributions by individuals, businesses and organizations, the primary funding for the construction and ongoing maintenance of the memorial project will come from the sale of 2-foot by 1-foot granite pavers purchased by and for veterans.
These pavers, containing the name, military branch and war in which the veteran served or the beginning date of military service for those serving in peacetime, will form the walkways for the memorial.
Approximately 200 pavers have been sold to date at $300 each, and another 100 pavers needs to be sold before the ground-breaking event, Weiberg said.
“Once we are able to break ground and folks see that the memorial is really going to happen, we believe we’ll sell a lot more pavers,” Weiberg said. “There is room for more than 2,500 pavers and I can envision family members years from now pointing out to their children the names of their family who served throughout the years in various wars and conflicts.
“What better way to educate our young people about the history of our great nation, and more importantly, about the sacrifices made for them to be able to enjoy this freedom we all enjoy today,” Weiberg concluded.
In addition to the pavers, benches and ornamental trees are available with memorial plaques for expanded dedication information.
For information or to make a donation, contact the Paris Economic Development office at the Lamar County Chamber of Commerce 903-784-6964, or visit the Web site at www.RRVVM.com.
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