Yellow Medicine County Veterans Memorial Plaza
The Yellow Medicine County Veterans Memorial Plaza is located at 415 9th Ave. in Granite Falls.
The Yellow Medicine County Veterans Memorial Plaza was the inspiration of the Veterans Service Officer of Yellow Medicine County, Michelle Gatz and her Assistant LeAnn Manor. It involved the help of the County Commissioners, Wendal Reyer, Commander of VFW Post 3871, and all the commanders and veterans of the VFW, Legion Posts and DAV Chapters in the County. Michelle brought it up to the County Commissioners and they also thought it was a great way to honor those who have served, and are serving our country. The County Commissioners gave the first $13,000.00 dollars to start the project. The rest of the money came from donations from the veterans and the families of past veterans to put their names on the black granite monument stones. The local business community and the private sector have also been supportive by giving donations to the Memorial for the various expenses incurred while building the monument..
To be eligible to have your name put on the stones you had to be from Yellow Medicine County or reside here now. Any veteran from the Civil War to present is eligible. National guard members are eligible if they have been federally activated. We have gotten a large number of names from county residents that have moved to other parts of the country and have heard about what we are doing and wanted to be part of the Memorial.
There are also special stones to honor those who have a purple heart, were killed in action, or were either a prisoner of war or listed as missing in action.
The Memorial has military statues of the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines placed at various spots in the Plaza. There is a nice waterfall next to the flag pole. Various plants, flowers and trees decorate and add color to the monument. The landscaping and pavers were done by Majsdac Hill Greenhouse & Landscaping. Also, we had a lot of volunteers to help with the landscaping, placing the statues and name stones.
A special thank you goes to the following businesses for their support for the Memorial:
VFW Post 3871, Prairies Edge Casino, American Legion of Granite Falls, Porter American Legion Post 457, Hazel Run American Legion, American Legion Post 204, DAV Chapter 24, Canby DAV, American Legion Aux. Unit No. 69, Wal-Mart, J.H. Lynner Company, Ladner’s True Value, Velde Sanitation, Birk Funeral Home, Fagen Inc., Project Turnabout, The Sawmill, Inc., Proj. Consult. Ser. L.L.C., Granite Falls Redi Mix, Thrivent Invest. Mgmt, Inc., Wing-Bain Funeral Home, Inc., Knights of Columbus # 6731, Granite Falls Economart, Hardees, Granite Falls Lions Club, Dave’s Trailer Sales, Granite Family Eye Care, Operation Roundup, Picht's Auto Body and Glass.
Photos of the memorial:
More Minnesota memorials
|
