Monument to be celebrated annually

QUINCY - The Quincy Valley Veterans Memorial wall was unveiled to citizens during Farmer-Consumer Awareness Day in Quincy earlier this month.

One side of one wall in Veterans Memorial Park is complete with 121 plaques bearing the names of people who served various agencies in the U.S. military from the Coast Guard to the Army to the Air Force.

"I am extremely pleased with the fact that this was a community effort," memorial wall committee Chair Phil Anderson said. "It's hard to put into words."

Anderson is a Vietnam War veteran.

The idea was first brainstormed more than 10 years ago by Veterans of Foreign Wars Commander Mark Owens and his father Judge Owens, he said. Jackson Hodges joined the effort by making it his Eagle Scout project.

With the help of the committee, volunteers and businesses, the project began to come to fruition.

The project is a community monument, Anderson said. The community built it and it features people who served the military from the Quincy Valley area.

"People can come up to see who was willing to serve their nation," he said. "We're just so thankful for their service."

One side of one wall is complete. There are three more blank spaces ready to hold hundreds of names, Anderson said.

"If you are a Quincy Valley veteran, go to the Chamber of Commerce to put your plaque up next year," he urged.

He said it's important for area veterans to be recognized on the wall for their service.

The plaques can be purchased for $80 at the Chamber of Commerce.

Anderson said new names will be mounted on the wall annually at each Farmer-Consumer Awareness Day event.

"We'll do it every year until the walls are filled and then we'll build more walls," Anderson said.

Approximately 100 people attended the unveiling of the wall, he said.

Also at the site are three flags, the American flag, the State of Washington Flag and prisoner of war (POW)/missing in action (MIA) flag.

The memorial wall was dedicated to those who served the U.S. military last November.