Hales Corners Veterans Memorial Dedication This Sunday, 5/27/12

HALES CORNERS MEMORIAL POST #299

Clifford’s Supper Club (414-425-6226)

10418 W. Forest Home Ave,

Hales Corners, WI. 53130 

For More Information, Contact: Nancy Christopher-Wilkes, 414/698-4915 or nwilkes@wi.rr.com

 

 

For Immediate Release

 

 

HALES CORNERS HONORS AMERICAN SERVICEMEN WITH DEDICATION CEREMONY OF NEW VETERANS MEMORIAL THIS WEEKEND

 

From the Civil War to Present Day, Personalized Memorial Bricks Line the Newly Built Veterans Memorial

HALES CORNERS, Wis., (May 21, 2012) -- The little Village that could has now raised more than $200,000 in a tough economy to erect a stunning Veterans Memorial and will honor American servicemen in a Dedication Ceremony on Sunday, May 27, 2 p.m., at Hales Corners Park. Spearheaded by a World War II Veteran and a 15-year-old Eagle Scout, the campaign to build a Five-Pointed Star Memorial, honoring the five branches of the United States Military – Army, Marines, Navy, Coast Guard and Air Force, is now complete and lined with memorial bricks of loved ones dating back to the Civil War to present day. Maj. Gen. Donald P. Dunbar, commander of the Wisconsin National Guard and Wisconsin's highest ranking officer, is the guest speaker.

            "We chose this weekend so that families could gather together on a holiday to pay tribute to our fallen and the active duty men and women who serve to protect our freedom," says Howard Hingiss, World War 11 veteran and retired Hales Corners Police Captain and co-chair of the Veterans Memorial Committee. "It will be a joyous celebration with inspiring music and invocations and a party for the community that has made all of this possible."

            Festivities will begin at 11 a.m. with a performance by solo artist Julie Ruka until 2 p.m. The Dedication Ceremony will begin at 2 p.m. with the Whitnall High School (WHS) Choir singing the National Anthem, followed by a military flyover of EAA Warbirds, WWII fighter planes.

            Organized by the Hales Corners American Post Legion 299 and VFW 10394, the ceremony will include a flag raising by Honor Guard, a 21-gun salute and a re-dedication of the rock that was placed at Hales Corners Elementary School on Arbor Day in 1946 to honor those who served during WWII. The rock has been carefully moved and placed at the Veterans Memorial. Additional speakers include: Co-chairs Howard Hingiss and Mitchell McGlinn, a sophomore at WHS, Joe Huber and Harold Bolstad from the Veterans Memorial Committee, Mark Herr, partner from Plunkett Raysich Architects and Village Trustee Don Schwartz, who is the Master of Ceremonies.

            Members of the Wounded Warriors Project, a non-profit organization to raise awareness and enlist public aid for the needs of injured service members, and the Patriot Guard Riders, a non-profit national organization of motorcycle enthusiasts created to oppose the Westboro Baptist Church and attend funerals to honor fallen US military personnel, will also be in attendance.  Immediately following the dedication, food and beer will be served, followed by entertainment by one of Wisconsin's best Country Top 40 Bands, WAMI winners Geoff Landon and the Wolfpack, from 4 to 8 p.m.

            This is a year of many milestones for the Village of Hales Corners, which is celebrating 175 years since it was settled. It is also the 81st anniversary of the Hales Corners American Legion, the 70th anniversary of the Hales Corners Women's Auxilliary and the 60th anniversary of when the Village was incorporated.

            Plunkett Raysich Architects is the Milwaukee architectural firm that designed the Veterans Memorial. Each of the Memorial's Five-Pointed Stars are equally placed in a circle so that no military branch can be viewed above another and to represent the responsibilities of each branch to work together to serve and protect the interests of the U.S. The Pentagon-shaped memorial focuses inward, while the Five Points of the Star reach outward with five paths that connect to nature and other points of interest within the park, including the library and pool.

            At the center of the memorial is a lighted U.S. flag on its own white plinth, which is symbolic of the human sacrifices made to God and Country. Brickwork encircles this plinth. Families and other groups can remember and honor veterans for their military service by purchasing a brick and having it inscribed with the names of their loved ones. The “tribute” bricks can be purchased for as little as $100 for an 8 X 4-in. brick and up to $5,000 for a 24 x 24-in. brick. The bricks are periodically installed in the spring and fall. More than 600 bricks are currently in place.

               

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