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The Flags Are Up

Veterans Memorial Achieves Important Milestones

The Northeast Montana Veterans Memorial Park is marching steadily toward completion, establishing what the project's website calls "a distinguished grounds to memorialize the sacrifices of many thousands of military veterans past and present."

On Nov. 5, flags from the six branches of service were raised at the site for the first time, along with the state, national, and POW/MIA flags. Over the summer, ground was leveled and cleared for a 38-foot-high monument, ten walls of honor, concrete pathways, and sculpture bases. Five years of planning and process will culminate in a dedication ceremony on May 29, 2016.

The plan is to have approximately 1,000 granite tiles by the ceremony, each adorned with the name of a veteran and his or her branch of service, which will be displayed permanently. The project's co-chairmen, Steve Page and Tom Markle, will then continue in their aim to honor the military's legacy in Northeast Montana.

Still under consideration are KIA and MIA vigil areas, a water feature, and additional sculptures. A Wall of Honor directory and a Taps bugler sculpture are in future plans.

Markle and Page hope that, as the holiday season approaches, friends of the memorial will keep the monument in mind when considering charitable giving. Applications are available online and at area banks. There is still room for 2,800 more tiles. All qualified veterans, regardless of their branch of service or their area of residence, may be honored. A qualified veteran is one who has served at least six months and has been honorably discharged.

Benches, tables, flags, and signs are available for sponsorship by individuals and organizations.

"We need donations to finish the project," Markle explains. "We won't quit raising money; we're actively welcoming additional donations."

Markle notes over 500 "donors of significance" – defined by a commitment of $500 or more – have aided the cause. Of that number, five organizations qualify as "five-star donors," meaning they have given over $20,000: The Town of Fort Peck, International Engineering, First Community Bank, Newton Motors, and Nemont Telephone. Glasgow's United Insurance & Realty recently donated $5,000 to the project.

"It has been our goal to work on behalf of all veterans and to do this memorial right," writes Markle. "It will be an educational resource for generations."

 

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