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Air-lift of honor
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CopyA giant crane lowered five, 3,000-pound granite walls onto the Monroe County courthouse square on Wednesday to form the new Veterans Memorial.
Ernest Jackson of Forsyth, who chairs the Veterans Memorial Committee that has worked for six years to make the monument a reality, said he is thrilled.
"It's my dream," said Jackson. "It's something I've been wanting to do and I'm glad to see it."
His wife, Priscilla Doster, said her husband was understating his enthusiasm.
"He was so excited he couldn't sleep last night," Doster said Wednesday.
Three of the walls list the names of Monroe County residents who died in war, one for World War I, one for World War II and one for the Vietnam, Korean and Gulf wars. The center wall has the pledge of allegiance. A fifth wall remains blank.
Jackson said the wall can be used to hoijbr those who die in future wars, and also serves as a reminder of unidentified soldiers killed in the line of duty.
Created by an Elberton granite company at a cost of $13,000, the walls represent just the first phase of the Veterans Memorial.
Phase 2 calls for a central obelisk and three flag poles around the outside ring. Phase 3 calls for pavers honoring veterans. Now that they've started, Jackson said he hopes it'll spark the community so they can raise the thousands of dollars needed to complete the entire monument.
Phase 1 was made more affordable byTTommy Brown of Crane
Services Inc. in Macon, who donated the crane to unload the walls. Freddie Smith, Earl Bond and Joel Seegars of FAS Monumental Erectors anchored them to the concrete.
Eight inch bolts were used to hold them in place. Members of Cabaniss Chapter of the United
Daughters of the Confederacy (UDC) and the Lt. James Monroe chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) provided lunch for the five men installing the monument. Send checks to the Monroe County Veterans Memorial, P.O. Box 766, ForsytbfGA 31029
Copyright 2009 The Monroe County Reporter, Forsyth, Georgia. All Rights Reserved. This content, including derivations, may not be stored or distributed in any manner, disseminated, published, broadcast, rewritten or reproduced without express, written consent from SmallTownPapers, Inc.
© 2009 The Monroe County Reporter Forsyth, Georgia. All Rights Reserved. This content, including derivations, may not be stored or distributed in any manner, disseminated, published, broadcast, rewritten or reproduced without express, written consent from DAS.
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