HAMILTON, Ohio — The Butler County commissioners have given a $125,000 boost to an ongoing campaign to restore the veterans memorial in Hamilton and add names of other brave service members who gave the ultimate sacrifice.
The existing Veterans Memorial in Hamilton’s Veterans Park on New London Road bears the names of 730 heroes who gave their lives in combat. Butler County Veterans Service Commission Executive Director Mike Farmer said the names generally stop at the Vietnam Conflict.
“Butler County unfortunately has 21 names that we need to add to the wall,” Farmer said. “That’s a hard pill to swallow but we want to be able to be inclusive of those who served in the Gulf War, Iraqi Freedom, Enduring Freedom and New Dawn and then have room to add names should we get into a conflict in the future.”
The county commissioners recently agreed to contribute half the cost of the $250,000 project — but more is needed — to replace the black granite wall that has been damaged by the indelible bronze that has dripped off the eagle that tops the monument and provide space for additional names. The giant base will remain but be refurbished.
Farmer said they identified a contractor about a year ago who was going to add a small panel to the existing monument but it wouldn’t have matched, plus the type font on the 25-year-old memorial couldn’t be replicated.
“The company said this is the best we can do, we’ll add a little piece here and we’re just going to list the names and fit it in this space even though it doesn’t match,” Farmer said. “That contractor fell through.”
Farmer said they have partnered with Laser Imaging & Design in Lebanon, the company that did the new Veterans Memorial in Fairfield Twp. and the new 50th anniversary memorial in Normandy, France this year. He said now that they have the vendor in place, they need to get the money to build the memorial and modernize the garden area, flag poles and walkway surrounding the memorial.
“This donation from the county commissioners is going to jump-start our efforts to get the funding to be fully funded,” Farmer said.
Commissioner Cindy Carpenter, who used to sit on the broad-based committee that worked on the original effort to create the monument, said she’d even be willing to have the county pay for the entire project if need be.
“I am willing to contribute the remaining amount, I think it’s really important and I think it does a lot for the young people to show that you appreciate the service and contribution all of our military men and women have given for the country,” Carpenter said. “They need to see that and it needs to be tangible.”
The Veterans Memorial Committee — which was revitalized about three years ago to work on refurbishing the memorial — partners with the Hamilton Community Foundation to handle donations to maintain the monument. John Guidugli, president and CEO of the HCF, said the account has $41,727 currently and the memorial committee has asked the Michael J. Colligan Fund Committee to consider donating $50,000 to the effort.
The Colligan Fund has a balance of roughly $4 million and he said it’s likely the request will be granted,
“I think it's a good fit for them,” Guidugli said. The committee wants to make sure the memorial will be “inclusive now and inclusive in the future” so heroes going forward will have a place on the wall, which is part of the plan.
“I certainly got the impression from our committee that we would be interested in supporting that,” Guidugli said. “It’s very much in line with Mr. Colligan’s wishes when he created the fund.”
How to donate
The committee is accepting donations from the public as well; a platinum-level donation of $10,000-plus will get the donor a nameplate on a flagpole and increments on down. Interested parties can visit: https://www.bit.ly/bcohiovm or mail a check to: Butler County Veterans Memorial c/o Hamilton Community Foundation 319 N 3rd Street, Hamilton, OH 45011.
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