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In hard-hit Vermont, families of Iraq and Afghanistan war dead pitch in to build memorial Hard-hit Vt. plans 2nd memorial for Mideast wars By JOHN CURRAN | Associated Press – Vermont Bureau| May 29, 2010 (excerpts)
It should: Vermont has suffered a terrible toll in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, losing 36 men who were either native sons, transplanted ones or former cadets at Norwich University military college. The monument isn't in place yet, but will be soon. On Sunday, the GIs' family members will help break ground on the Vermont Fallen Heroes Global War on Terror Memorial, to be built at the state veterans' cemetery in Randolph Center. Funded with private donations raised largely by the families, the $350,000 monument is aimed at marking both the sacrifice of those who served and the heartbreak of the loved ones left behind. … Unlike other wars, for which memorials are generally erected in the aftermath, the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan have prompted the construction of war memorials while the fighting is still occurring. Dozens have been built, from Jackson, Mich., to Fort Bragg, N.C. … With a population of about 621,000, the state's losses in the Iraq war - 22 men, by the Pentagon's count - give it the highest per-capita death rate of any state, at 3.54 per 100,000 people (as of January). Many died in 2006 in fighting in and around Ramadi, their losses driven home by tearful small-town funerals and half-staff flags. … The new Global War on Terror memorial began as an idea among family members and took off with commitments of cash and in-kind services. Some gave money, services or discounts for their services. Among them: Rock of Ages quarry, in Barre; Granite Industries of Vermont; and Granite Corp. of Barre. Made from Barre gray granite, the memorial will encompass a 40-by-45-foot area, with several elements:
"I can't imagine there will ever be another monument that has this amount of meaning to me," said designer Dana Morissette, head of drafting and design at Granite Industries of Vermont, who donated the original design. "You go in thinking you're going to give something back, but (family members) end up giving you more than you could ever pay back."
Building it now - instead of after the wars end - makes sense, says Ray DeGiovine, whose 25-year-old son, a Marine Corps corporal, was killed in Anbar province in 2007. "Most of us will be dead by the time this war is over," said DeGiovine, 66, of Essex. "This is going to be with us for a while. It might not have an end like Armistice Day." ___
Below are photos taken during the groundbreaking ceremony. Click on the small photos to see the larger photo.
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With its carved images of falling maple leaves, a rifle-toting citizen soldier and the state Capitol, a war monument taking shape under the hand of granite sculptor Ken Maurice has Vermont written all over it.
