HAMILTON, Ohio — At Veterans Park in Hamilton stands a memorial in honor of all of the veterans from Butler County who lost their lives in battle. The memorial was built in 1999, and now 25 years later it is in need of an update.
"We’re really looking to redo the whole memorial," Mike Farmer, executive director for the Butler County Veterans Service Commission, said as he showed us the areas where the memorial needs work. "It’s gonna take a little bit of funding but I have faith that the community is gonna step up behind us and make this happen."
The project to replace and update the memorial is expected to cost $250,000. On Sunday night, the Butler County Board of Commissioners announced that they would fund half of that cost.
"All three commissioners decided to provide the funding," Commissioner T.C. Rodgers said. "We try to do with every dollar, what will do the most good."
One of the biggest undertakings with this project will be replacing the granite slabs that display the names of veterans with taller, black granite slabs. This is so they can include the names of all of the veterans who have passed since the Vietnam War.
With the exception of two veterans who passed away in Lebanon and El Salvador conflict, no veterans who paid the ultimate sacrifice since the Vietnam War have been added to the memorial. Farmer says that there are 21 names for Butler County.
Farmer said there are currently 730 names on the memorial, and it is through their names that they are remembered.
"There are no truer words than when you speak to a Gold Star family who has lost their son or daughter for our freedoms, and the one thing that they’ll tell you is never stop saying their name and they will always live on. And so if we can add those names to this memorial, the entire community will be able to come together and know those who went before us," Farmer said.
On top of updating the memorial, other upgrades will also be made to the area during the project such as updating landscaping and including a walking path to the memorial.
The Butler County Veterans Service Commission is asking for community donations to make this project happen.
"What we’re asking is for the community to donate whatever they can, we have different sponsorship levels, no amount is too small and no amount is too large," Farmer said.
If you wish to donate to the Veterans Memorial, you can do so through the Hamilton Community Foundation. For online donations, there is a $25 minimum donation. Cash donations can be mailed to:
Butler County Veterans Memorial c/o
Hamilton Community Foundation
319 N 3rd Street, Hamilton, OH 45011
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