thedrifter
05-31-07, 08:27 AM
Place of Honor: New memorial dedicated Monday
By Paul Garber
JOURNAL REPORTER
Thursday, May 31, 2007
LEWISVILLE - Lewisville’s American Legion Post 522 unveiled a memorial Monday to its fellow soldiers who have been prisoners of war or are missing in action or are held as prisoners of war.
The event highlighted the town’s annual Memorial Day ceremony at Shallowford Square. More than 250 people attended.
William Whitman, a Lewisville resident who was held as a prisoner of war in Germany during World War II, raised the black POW/MIA flag.
He posed with family members underneath the new flagpole after the ceremony.
“It means to me that I’m glad to serve my country,” Whitman said.
His wife, Frances, said that the flag was meaningful to her as well.
“It’s an honor to those who didn’t make it back to the country. So many,” she said.
Larry Morris, the post’s chaplain, said that the suggestion for the flagpole came from Bart Near, a local member of the Rolling Thunder, a group of motorcycle-riding veterans.
Near made the suggestion to Council Member Jane Welch, who brought it before the town council. In January, the council approved $6,000 to help pay for the memorial.
“For the last five months we’ve been planning and getting this together,” Morris told the crowd. “It’s a special memorial we can dedicate.”
The town first built a veterans memorial in Shallowford Square in 2003, a pentagon-shaped monument with emblems and flags representing the five branches of the U.S. armed forces.
Last year, the post led a drive to add a Battle Cross memorial, a sculpture depicting a pair of boots and a rifle topped by a helmet. The Battle Cross is a tribute to those who died in military service.
State Sen. Pete Brunstetter, the keynote speaker for the ceremony, said he is inspired by people who volunteer to serve in difficult times. Brunstetter, a Navy veteran, has a son who served in the Marines, and his two youngest sons are active-duty Marines.
“Stop and think about young people currently serving our country,” he said. “Because today, as it has been for 200 years, our freedom has a very dear price.”
■ Paul Garber can be reached at 727-7327 or at pgarber@wsjournal.com.
Ellie
By Paul Garber
JOURNAL REPORTER
Thursday, May 31, 2007
LEWISVILLE - Lewisville’s American Legion Post 522 unveiled a memorial Monday to its fellow soldiers who have been prisoners of war or are missing in action or are held as prisoners of war.
The event highlighted the town’s annual Memorial Day ceremony at Shallowford Square. More than 250 people attended.
William Whitman, a Lewisville resident who was held as a prisoner of war in Germany during World War II, raised the black POW/MIA flag.
He posed with family members underneath the new flagpole after the ceremony.
“It means to me that I’m glad to serve my country,” Whitman said.
His wife, Frances, said that the flag was meaningful to her as well.
“It’s an honor to those who didn’t make it back to the country. So many,” she said.
Larry Morris, the post’s chaplain, said that the suggestion for the flagpole came from Bart Near, a local member of the Rolling Thunder, a group of motorcycle-riding veterans.
Near made the suggestion to Council Member Jane Welch, who brought it before the town council. In January, the council approved $6,000 to help pay for the memorial.
“For the last five months we’ve been planning and getting this together,” Morris told the crowd. “It’s a special memorial we can dedicate.”
The town first built a veterans memorial in Shallowford Square in 2003, a pentagon-shaped monument with emblems and flags representing the five branches of the U.S. armed forces.
Last year, the post led a drive to add a Battle Cross memorial, a sculpture depicting a pair of boots and a rifle topped by a helmet. The Battle Cross is a tribute to those who died in military service.
State Sen. Pete Brunstetter, the keynote speaker for the ceremony, said he is inspired by people who volunteer to serve in difficult times. Brunstetter, a Navy veteran, has a son who served in the Marines, and his two youngest sons are active-duty Marines.
“Stop and think about young people currently serving our country,” he said. “Because today, as it has been for 200 years, our freedom has a very dear price.”
■ Paul Garber can be reached at 727-7327 or at pgarber@wsjournal.com.
Ellie