Polk County NC Veterans Park Memorials
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Polk County
Veterans Park and War Memorials
The concept of a Veterans Park began in earnest in November 2002. After
many years of delays due to various roadblocks, two anonymous buyers
purchased a vacant lot and donated the land to the town of Columbus to
be used for a Veterans Plaza. The ideal location, adjacent to the
House
of Flags Museum, is the current site of the Veterans Park. Local
Veterans organizations quickly gave their approvals, and the Veterans
Park in Columbus, North Carolina fund raising activities were started
with the sale of memorial bricks to be included in the construction of a
large circular water fountain to honor veterans from Polk County and
surrounding areas.
In 2005, Bronze plaques were placed on two existing
boulders in the park, one to honor veterans of the Revolutionary War and
another to honor veterans of the Civil War.
In 2016, a local Boy Scout, for his Eagle Scout project,
was able to design, raise funds, and construct a Pavilion in the park
for use by the community. The VFW Post 9116 members added additional
supports to the structure to improve stability and will continue to make
upgrades as needed.
In mid 2017, another local Boy Scout, also working on his
Eagle Scout project, wanted to erect a Vietnam Memorial to honor his
grandfather’s service. A group consisting of the town administrator and
representatives of the VFW Post 9116 and Auxiliary members designated a
portion of Veterans Park as the War Memorial Section. The site is
located near the circular water fountain and the flag poles displaying
the National and State Flags as well as the POW/MIA flag and those
representing each branch of Military service.
In October 2017, the
Vietnam Memorial was installed. Four
additional granite pedestals were installed in preparation for mounting
plaques to honor Veterans from
World War I, World War II, the Korean War
and the Gulf Wars.
The area of Veterans Park designated for the memorials was a bit unkempt
but, with volunteer efforts, about two tons of old mulch were removed.
The area was leveled and filled
with white gravel. Edging was placed around the outer edges to designate
the boundaries of the War Memorial Section. The gravel and edging were
supplied by the American Legion Post 250 in Tryon, North Carolina.
Members of the VFW Post 9116, American Legion Post 250 and the Polk County
Memorial Honor Guard provided volunteer labor for the project. The Town
of Columbus assisted with correcting drainage issues.
We also asked several local businesses for donations and we were blessed
by the response.
The VFW Post 9116 and Auxiliary members were responsible for the War
Memorial Section from its inception but raising funds for the completion
of the projects proved to be very slow and at times very difficult.
In 2018, as the newly elected Quartermaster of the Polk
County Memorial Post 9116 Veterans of Foreign Wars, I proposed a
fundraising activity to help finance the completion of the War Memorial
Section of Veterans Park.
The idea was to ask businesses in Polk County to allow the VFW Post 9116
to place a donation jar in their establishments to collect funds that
would be used to help with the creation and installation of the
remaining plaques. Collection jars were established in businesses in
Columbus, Saluda and Tryon, North Carolina.
Members of our VFW Post donated jars, paper and other supplies and decided
that funds collected would be used solely for the purchase of the War
Memorial monuments.
The very first donation we received was from a local Physical Therapy
business in Saluda, NC. The donation of a $200 check has been the
largest single donation received from our donation jar campaign.
The smallest donation received was from a young man about age 5. He
listened as I explained to his father the purpose of the donations. The
gentleman gave me $20. Then the young man asked if he could donate and
then gave me 72 cents, all he had in his pocket.
In September, 2018 we applied for a Community Service
Grant from the National Organization of Veterans of Foreign Wars and
were immediately approved for a $1,000 grant. We were also encouraged to
apply again in 2019 after our submission of the required Final Grant
Report. We did and were again blessed with another $1,000 grant.
In the 14 months of fundraising, we have collected almost $2,700 from
local businesses and our local collection jars. The average monthly
yield is around $100. Other funds have been donated by area VFW Posts
and Auxiliary Units. Some donation checks have arrived by mail and some
have just been handed to me as I travel around Polk County.
Clayton’s Monuments in Landrum, South Carolina has been
instrumental in the design and etching of the memorial plaques. As a
service to our local veterans, they have kept our cost as low as
possible. They spend many hours designing a plaque from our thoughts,
sketches and/or pictures before submitting a final design for our
approval. The final design is then etched onto a black granite slab and
mounted onto the designated monument pedestal in Veterans Park.
Monuments currently displayed in the War Memorial Section are the
Vietnam War Memorial (dedicated
on November 4, 2018), the
World War I
Memorial (dedicated on May 27, 2019), the
World War II Memorial (dedicated on July 4, 2019) and the
Korean War Memorial (dedicated
on May 25, 2020).
We are discussing plans for the
Gulf Wars plaque.
In September 2019, volunteers from the VFW Post 9116,
American Legion Post 250, the Polk County Honor Guard, along with
others, worked several days to prepare the grounds for the construction
and installation of the “Charters of Freedom”.
On September 17, 2019, a dedication ceremony for the 22nd
installation of the “Charters of
Freedom”, a permanent replica our country’s
founding documents, was held at Veterans Park. The Honor Guard presented
the Colors during the Dedication Ceremony.
On November 7, 2019, we moved an unfinished 6’ by 4’
stone into the War Memorial Section. The large stone was a donation from
a Life Member of the VFW Post 9116. We are currently discussing plans to
prepare and mount the stone, which will be used it to honor all who
served in the
"Global War Against Terrorism". The War monument is large enough
that we can display small plaques for each of the numerous
wars/conflicts involving the United States after the September 11, 2001
attack on American soil.
We will keep our VFW comrades informed of our future progress. We will
continue to accept donations to ensure the completion of this project.
David Fleming, Quartermaster
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The fountain is undergoing repairs. |
Flags for the six branches of the military. Flag #6 - The Merchant Marines are called up in war time only. |
One of several very old placks found in the park. |
Someone left these two for all to see. |
Below are the
etched placks for the major wars. |
This small plack is found below the Korean War
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This Rock will be stood up and various smaller placks will be ad-fixied to it to commenrate the various conflicts since 9/11 that the U.S. Veterans have been involved in. This will be started after the last etched plack for Gulf Wars has been finished ~ hopefully in 2020. The VFW Post 9116 will then start on this one. |
World War 1 |
World War II |
Korean War with small plack for SSgt Reckless below. |
The Vietnam War |
The Gulf War |
These are the 5 memorials as the Veterans Park stands today. The WW1 is on the right and the Gulf War will be on the left side. |
These War Memorials are
sponsered by the
VFW Post 9116
33 Gibson Street
P.O. Box 654
Columbus NC 28722