CINCINNATI — "Oh, it’s just sad. It’s awful."
Christy Cauley’s heart breaks a little each time she drives by the damaged veterans memorial in Sedamsville.
"I work right around the corner, so I see it every time I drive to work," Cauley said. "Seeing it in this state is so sad. You know, it used to be so beautiful. It was such a monument to the people on the wall and now it’s just in disarray."
Each brick has the name of a veteran. Some of those names are a part of Cauley’s family tree.
"My grandfather’s name is on the memorial, his brothers are on the memorial, my uncle Jim is on the memorial. He’s a Korean War Vet," Cauley said.
She said all of them served during World War II.
"All of the brothers were stationed in the European Theatre. I know my grandfather stormed the beach at Normandy," she said. "He actually didn’t come home when the war was over. They needed him to decommission vehicles, so he had to stay until 1946."
The Sedamsville Civic Association is working to repair a damaged veterans memorial. A driver hit it 3 years ago. The group says the repairs cost about $30,000. It's money they don't have. They need help to fix it, so they can honor their veterans properly. @WCPO
— Jessica Hart WCPO (@JessicaHartTV) May 23, 2023
(📸: Herb Kohls) pic.twitter.com/CduTR36MlR
Sedamsville Civic Association Secretary Herb Kohls said a driver hit and damaged the memorial three years ago.
"We got a quote probably about a year ago for around $30,000 and the civic association just does not have $30,000," Kohls said. "We are looking to move its location somewhere else just because we don’t want it to get struck again as well as get it down in marble."
Kohls said they need more than money to fix the memorial.
"If we can have people come and participate like an architect volunteer some hours to help us create like a blueprint, or anybody that has connections in the city to push through the paperwork to get it all done, those are all things that we need," Kohls said.
He added the civic association has discussed moving it to Bold Face Park, so they would need to get a permit from the city.
"To have a piece dedicated to veterans in the community can really help inspire and bring hope to the citizens, to the community," Kohls said.
Kohls said Sedamsville is trying to turn itself around, and he believes fixing the memorial is a step in the right direction.
"The memorial is to me personally so much more than just the veterans memorial. It’s very important for us to honor our veterans in this community and in the surrounding communities," Kohls said.
And it would make Cauley’s heart sing.
“Our veterans deserve more respect than this," Cauley said. "It would be great if anybody were able to see this and find it in their heart to hopefully fund it."
If you would like to help, email Kohls at herb@firehousenursery.com.
