thedrifter
07-13-08, 08:20 AM
A'dale Plans Special Place for Vets
By Merissa Green
The Ledger
Published: Sunday, July 13, 2008 at 7:40 a.m.
Last Modified: Sunday, July 13, 2008 at 8:45 a.m.
AUBURNDALE | War veterans will soon have a place to gather in the downtown park that will give them a space of remembrance.
As a part of the ongoing city park renovations, city officials are planning a memorial to all veterans.
The memorial will be erected at the new flag pole site near the entrance of City Hall Plaza at the Main Street intersection.
The memorial will honor each branch of the armed services with five low-profile granite monuments. The monuments will feature a 12-inch bronze emblem depicting the official military seal of the Army, Marines, Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard.
"We're really excited about this," said Jeff Tillman, the city's administration intern who coordinated the project. "There were a lot of particulars we were trying to get correct. It's been a long process."
That process included contacting the Department of Defense to properly erect the monuments, identifying the official military seals of the different branches and researching what constituted a major conflict.
The cost for the project, which also includes landscaping of the area and decorative brick pavers, is $6,100.
A separate monument already has been placed in front of the 40-foot flag pole that pays tribute to Auburndale veterans who served in military conflicts. The major conflicts that are honored by the two less-visible monuments currently in front of City Hall and in the City Park also will be included in the new memorial. Several flat granite markers will include these major conflicts and the current Iraq war and the war on terror.
Tillman has been in contact with Florida's U.S. Sen. Mel Martinez, U.S. Rep. Adam Putnam, R-Bartow, the Department of Defense, the Auburndale VFW and the Auburndale High School Navy JROTC about the project.
The city will have an official dedication ceremony on Veterans Day, Nov. 11. Tillman said a letter was sent to Martinez inviting him to the dedication ceremony to be the keynote speaker.
City officials have done a great job recognizing all veterans with the new memorial, said Lt. Cmdr. Dan Young, a senior naval science instructor at Auburndale High School.
"It's really all inclusive," said Young, who spent 22 years in the Navy. "It's a good use of the taxpayers' money."
[ Merissa Green can be reached at merissa.green@theledger.com or 863-401-6968. ]
Ellie
By Merissa Green
The Ledger
Published: Sunday, July 13, 2008 at 7:40 a.m.
Last Modified: Sunday, July 13, 2008 at 8:45 a.m.
AUBURNDALE | War veterans will soon have a place to gather in the downtown park that will give them a space of remembrance.
As a part of the ongoing city park renovations, city officials are planning a memorial to all veterans.
The memorial will be erected at the new flag pole site near the entrance of City Hall Plaza at the Main Street intersection.
The memorial will honor each branch of the armed services with five low-profile granite monuments. The monuments will feature a 12-inch bronze emblem depicting the official military seal of the Army, Marines, Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard.
"We're really excited about this," said Jeff Tillman, the city's administration intern who coordinated the project. "There were a lot of particulars we were trying to get correct. It's been a long process."
That process included contacting the Department of Defense to properly erect the monuments, identifying the official military seals of the different branches and researching what constituted a major conflict.
The cost for the project, which also includes landscaping of the area and decorative brick pavers, is $6,100.
A separate monument already has been placed in front of the 40-foot flag pole that pays tribute to Auburndale veterans who served in military conflicts. The major conflicts that are honored by the two less-visible monuments currently in front of City Hall and in the City Park also will be included in the new memorial. Several flat granite markers will include these major conflicts and the current Iraq war and the war on terror.
Tillman has been in contact with Florida's U.S. Sen. Mel Martinez, U.S. Rep. Adam Putnam, R-Bartow, the Department of Defense, the Auburndale VFW and the Auburndale High School Navy JROTC about the project.
The city will have an official dedication ceremony on Veterans Day, Nov. 11. Tillman said a letter was sent to Martinez inviting him to the dedication ceremony to be the keynote speaker.
City officials have done a great job recognizing all veterans with the new memorial, said Lt. Cmdr. Dan Young, a senior naval science instructor at Auburndale High School.
"It's really all inclusive," said Young, who spent 22 years in the Navy. "It's a good use of the taxpayers' money."
[ Merissa Green can be reached at merissa.green@theledger.com or 863-401-6968. ]
Ellie