thedrifter
11-23-08, 07:10 AM
Memorial groups raise money, awareness
November 22, 2008 - 6:47 PM
JENNIFER HLAD
DAILY NEWS STAFF
Organizers with the Museum of the Marine, the Vietnam Memorial and the Corpsman Memorial have teamed up to spread the word about Jacksonville's Memorial Garden.
Representatives from each group are working inside the site of a former jewelry store at the Jacksonville Mall each day until Jan. 1, hoping to raise money for their respective organizations and raise awareness about the projects.
"It's important that our community knows what's coming to Jacksonville," said Joe Houle, operations director for the Museum of the Marine.
The Memorial Garden on N.C. 24 near downtown Jacksonville already hosts the Beirut Memorial and 9/11 memorial, as well as the planned sites for the Museum of the Marine, the Vietnam Memorial and the Corpsman Memorial. Houle hopes it also eventually will have memorials for Operation Desert Storm, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, World War II and Korea.
Workers recently broke ground on the Vietnam Memorial site, said Clinton Williams, treasurer and fundraiser for the memorial.
Crews started clearing land for the parking lot and memorial on Oct. 24, and they hope to begin the first phase of construction in May, Williams said.
Visitors to the storefront at the mall can see a model of the memorial, or purchase T-shirts, cookbooks and other items to support it.
The Corpsman Memorial has contracted with sculptor Abbe Godwin to create a statue of a corpsman treating a wounded Marine. Godwin, who did the statue for the Beirut Memorial, is doing research now and hopes to have a model by late spring or early summer, said Kris Burritt, spokeswoman for the Corpsman Memorial.
"By using the same sculptor (as the Beirut Memorial), it keeps continuity," she said. "And she's the best in the business."
The memorial will be located between the Beirut Memorial and the Vietnam Memorial, Burritt said.
The Corpsman Memorial group is working to become a part of the Memorial Garden Committee and aims to finish the memorial by June 17, 2012, Burritt said.
The Museum of the Marine is in the process of finalizing the design for the museum, Houle said, and should have a completed design in the next 60 to 90 days. Visitors to the mall can see a mockup of how the exhibits will be laid out.
The storefront for the veterans organizations was donated by the Jacksonville Mall.
The completed memorial park will have a "giant economic impact" on the community, with "thousands of visitors" coming to Onslow County, Houle said.
Contact interactive content editor and military reporter Jennifer Hlad at jhlad@freedomenc.com or 910-219-8467.
Ellie
November 22, 2008 - 6:47 PM
JENNIFER HLAD
DAILY NEWS STAFF
Organizers with the Museum of the Marine, the Vietnam Memorial and the Corpsman Memorial have teamed up to spread the word about Jacksonville's Memorial Garden.
Representatives from each group are working inside the site of a former jewelry store at the Jacksonville Mall each day until Jan. 1, hoping to raise money for their respective organizations and raise awareness about the projects.
"It's important that our community knows what's coming to Jacksonville," said Joe Houle, operations director for the Museum of the Marine.
The Memorial Garden on N.C. 24 near downtown Jacksonville already hosts the Beirut Memorial and 9/11 memorial, as well as the planned sites for the Museum of the Marine, the Vietnam Memorial and the Corpsman Memorial. Houle hopes it also eventually will have memorials for Operation Desert Storm, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, World War II and Korea.
Workers recently broke ground on the Vietnam Memorial site, said Clinton Williams, treasurer and fundraiser for the memorial.
Crews started clearing land for the parking lot and memorial on Oct. 24, and they hope to begin the first phase of construction in May, Williams said.
Visitors to the storefront at the mall can see a model of the memorial, or purchase T-shirts, cookbooks and other items to support it.
The Corpsman Memorial has contracted with sculptor Abbe Godwin to create a statue of a corpsman treating a wounded Marine. Godwin, who did the statue for the Beirut Memorial, is doing research now and hopes to have a model by late spring or early summer, said Kris Burritt, spokeswoman for the Corpsman Memorial.
"By using the same sculptor (as the Beirut Memorial), it keeps continuity," she said. "And she's the best in the business."
The memorial will be located between the Beirut Memorial and the Vietnam Memorial, Burritt said.
The Corpsman Memorial group is working to become a part of the Memorial Garden Committee and aims to finish the memorial by June 17, 2012, Burritt said.
The Museum of the Marine is in the process of finalizing the design for the museum, Houle said, and should have a completed design in the next 60 to 90 days. Visitors to the mall can see a mockup of how the exhibits will be laid out.
The storefront for the veterans organizations was donated by the Jacksonville Mall.
The completed memorial park will have a "giant economic impact" on the community, with "thousands of visitors" coming to Onslow County, Houle said.
Contact interactive content editor and military reporter Jennifer Hlad at jhlad@freedomenc.com or 910-219-8467.
Ellie