POW/MIA memorial hoped to come to town next year
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National POW/MIA Recognition Day was Friday, and it marked another step in the journey that is making Marietta's Gold Star Park a place that speaks to veterans of healing. And comfort. And honor.
Those are the three words Marietta veteran Jared Smith used as he announced the start of a new community initiative.
The goal is to place a Prisoner of War/Missing in Action monument at Gold Star by next year. He wants the dedication to be Sept. 20, 2024, the next national POW/MIA Day.
The strategy will sound familiar to the many area residents who were involved in the preparation, installation and dedication of the Silent Battle memorial last year.
First, ask permission. Smith and friend Gary Ward, a Gold Star father who has been deeply involved in many of the past veterans' efforts at the park, made sure the plan was okay with the City of Marietta.
It was, and the city council passed a resolution formalizing its approval.
"Everybody in the city has been amazing," Smith said. "The mayor, the safety service director, all the city council members, the council president, the council clerk. They have given us so much support. And we want what's in the best interest of the city."
Second, get a core group together. Smith already knows he has some solid return support with Gary and Karla Ward, veteran Brad Webb and vitally important concrete experts Ray Currey of RBD Concrete, Thad Tucker of Next Level Masonry, and Brad Zimmer of Zimmer Development. The three donated a substantial amount of in-kind service for the Silent Battle project, and they're on board again.
Add lots of volunteers from veterans' groups, fraternal groups, civic groups, other nonprofit community groups and anybody else who "finds value in doing this work." Smith is asking people to contact him by phone (740-398-4584) or by FaceBook page by Oct. 1 so that he can get a first group meeting together as soon as possible. The page address is www.Facebook.com/powmiaofgoldstarpark. And, to be honest, if there are people who want to join the effort after Oct. 1, they're welcome, too.
"That's OK," Smith said. "We don't want to leave anybody out."
He wants to work with a liaison from each group with a goal of raising $5,000 by Nov. 1. The liaison members will help with fundraising and anything else that needs to be done, such as serving as grounds crew, event crew, and dedication ceremony crew. Plus, it would be very helpful to have someone help publicize the event and work with local media, he said.
The monument itself will be $10,000 and the starting estimate on the total project is $25,000. As in the past, the project will be privately funded. The total will go down as people donate goods and services.
The monument will be made by Ken Noon, who supplied the pedestals for the Silent Battle and Battlefield Cross monuments and installed them both. Noon attended the Silent Battle dedication "and was visibly moved by it," Smith said.
The POW/MIA monument is black granite.
"At the top of the monument, the hands come out of the stone," Smith said.
"The POW's wrists are bound together. He is oppressed."
The monument will be on a site that is slightly elevated.
The idea of getting a part of the money by Nov. 1 of this year is to obtain needed materials at prices before they increase and to move on to ordering the monument.
On concrete, for example, there are plans to tear out and replace certain sections of old, damaged path and plans to create new sidewalk access to the memorial site itself.
Smith did note that the new, perimeter sidewalk is now completely done at the park.
"They're awesome. And it's wonderful to see people using the walking trail every time I visit the park."
They're using the walking trail, the tennis courts, the frisbee golf course, and there are people walking around looking at the monuments, Smith said.
Kids are playing hoops, riding bikes. There are two or three families at the swingsets and other playground equipment.
"Whenever I go, there are eight to 12 vehicles parked at Gold Star, and it's all being used."
Nancy Taylor can be reached at ntaylor@newsandsentinel.com