Sounds grand to me. Just a word of advice, do it during the warm summer months if at all possible. We did our dedication in Nov, probably for Veterans Day, and it was cold enough to--------- well use your imagination and the wind blew so loud you couldn't hear the speakers even though they had a speaker system in place. Everyone was just glad to get inside for refreshments and get out of the wind. Ruth At 8:53 PM -0500 3/5/04, Vee L. Housman wrote: >Dear Folks, > >This is an update on the progress of my veterans project. I've just >recently updated the list of our Town of Porter veterans that now includes >1,077 name. I burned the list onto a CD and this past Tuesday I took the >CD over to the Youngstown Village Clerk's office because Mayor Riordon was >anxious to see the list because he has plans for a veterans memorial of >some sort during the village's sesquicentennial celebration this year. I >explained to the Village Clerk that the list encompasses the entire Town >of Porter and that there was no way to extract only those names who served >with a Youngstown connection. She realized that it might prove to be a >problem but she went along with it anyway and would print out the entire >list as the mayor had requested. > >I then took a duplicate CD of all the information and went to the Town of >Porter Supervisor's office at the Town Hall and gave him a long overdue >update on the project. I told him that I felt that an all-name list be >displayed at the Town Hall in some fashion but due to budget restraints, I >knew that the town couldn't afford a very expensive "Vietnam Wall" sort of >display on the front lawn of the Town Hall. My only low-budget suggestion >was a simple listing of all the names and what wars they served in and >displayed on a number of framed panels to be hung conspicuously in the >entry hallway of the Town Hall. The Town Supervisor is all for it. > >Now here's where it gets a bit interesting. Mayor Riordon called me today >to thank me for the information that I had provided him with and to let me >know what he intends to do with the entire list of veterans. First of all >he described to me what he and the village are planning as a proper >veterans memorial and dedication. There will be a large boulder placed >conspicuously in Veterans Park in Youngstown with a proper bronze plaque >on it dedicated to all our veterans. There will be a 40-foot flagpole >erected that will be flood-lit 24/7. In addition there will be a >three-sided kiosk that will list ALL the names from my Town of Porter >veterans list. > >On the day of the dedication of the memorial, there will be a ceremony >that will start out at our 1812 Cemetery near Old Fort Niagara. There >will be a bugler to play the national anthem and taps. In addition there >will be a Highland Regiment of bagpipers to play Amazing Grace. Wreaths >will be laid. At the end of the ceremony at the cemetery there will be >military vehicles to transport those veterans who attend the ceremony >(note: the Army will also throw in a tank!) back to Veterans Park. The >entourage will meet up at the park where the dedication ceremony of the >memorial will take place. > >After the ceremony, the entourage will continue on to the VFW Post a >couple of blocks away where refreshments will be served while the >bagpipers continue to wail away! > >Now if that ain't a proper salute and acknowledgment to all the local >veterans who served in any war since the history of our country, I don't >know what is. > >vee -- Ruth Barton [email protected] Dummerston, VT

Dear Folks, I'm trying to get caught up on my stuffed-up Inbox and found Ruth's message regarding the Veterans Memorial ceremony. She suggested: Just a word of advice, do it during the warm summer > months if at all possible. We did our dedication in Nov, probably for > Veterans Day, and it was cold enough to--------- well use your imagination > and the wind blew so loud you couldn't hear the speakers even though they > had a speaker system in place. Everyone was just glad to get inside for > refreshments and get out of the wind. Ruth Not to worry. The Village of Youngstown has already mapped out the year-long events for our Sesquicentennial celebration and I believe they're scheduling it for Memorial Day. Now let's hope it isn't too hot that day or I'll faint dead away in my wool dress blue uniform! vee