Town of Tonawanda Veterans Memorial

Last updated
Town of Tonawanda Veterans Memorial
Memorial Photo 1.jpg
Location Town of Tonawanda, New York, United States
Coordinates 42°59′29″N78°51′11″W / 42.99141°N 78.85304°W / 42.99141; -78.85304
EstablishedAugust 18, 2009

The Town of Tonawanda Veterans Memorial is a public memorial in the Town of Tonawanda, New York, USA. It is located in Walter M. Kenney Park (formerly Walter M. Kenney Field [1] ) at the northwest corner of Brighton Road and Colvin Boulevard. The memorial stands to honor the service of all veterans of the United States Armed Forces. [2]

Contents

Seven-foot-tall granite monument by Ralph Sirianni at the Town of Tonawanda Veterans Memorial. Memorial V.jpg
Seven-foot-tall granite monument by Ralph Sirianni at the Town of Tonawanda Veterans Memorial.

Initial construction of the memorial took roughly seven weeks and was completed in mid-August 2009. The memorial was formally dedicated on August 18, 2009 before a crowd of more than 1,500 people. [3] Retired U.S. Army General and former U.S. Secretary of State Colin L. Powell delivered the keynote address. [4] A crowd of several hundred people gathered one year later, on August 18, 2010, for a re-dedication ceremony to commemorate the completion of a major expansion effort necessitated by the popularity of the memorial among interested donors. [5] [6]

The focal point of the memorial is a seven-foot-tall V-shaped monument of Paradiso granite, standing for Veterans. [7] [8] The monument was designed specifically for the memorial in 2007 by artist and Vietnam War veteran Ralph Sirianni. [7] [8] Sirianni's original sketch of the monument was featured on donation pamphlets distributed to residents of the Town of Tonawanda and did not depict the memorial wall or elevated landscape. [9] Architectural firm Carmina, Wood & Morris designed the memorial and surrounding landscape, incorporating Sirianni's monument as the centerpiece. [10]

Granite plaques engraved with the names of local veterans hang on two angled, semicircular walls. One wall partially surrounds the granite monument, while a second wall, constructed a year after the first, wraps around the reverse of the memorial's elevated platform. The site also features seven flagpoles, one flying the flag of the United States and the POW/MIA flag, and six others displaying the flags of the U.S. Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, and Merchant Marine.

The memorial is surrounded by several trees and numerous park benches. Each tree and park bench bears a bronze plaque inscribed with the names of veterans, community organizations, or local businesses on whose behalf financial contributions were made to fund the memorial's construction. Adjacent to the memorial is a Korean War-era Grumman F9F-6P Cougar Naval airframe, on loan to the Town of Tonawanda from the U.S. government. [2] [11] The airframe was installed at its current location in May 1959 and is a well-known landmark in the community. [2]

History

Background

The Town of Tonawanda Veterans Memorial project began in 2004 as a grassroots effort to establish a permanent site in the town for residents to gather and pay tribute to their relatives, friends, and fellow Americans who have served or currently serve in the U.S. Military. [12] In 2007, the Town of Tonawanda Veterans Memorial Steering Committee was established to see the project through to completion. [2]

Groundbreaking ceremony held May 22, 2009. Memorial Groundbreaking.jpg
Groundbreaking ceremony held May 22, 2009.

To fund construction, the memorial steering committee solicited private donations from town residents and business owners. For $100, a donor could have the name of a military veteran of their choice engraved on the memorial. [2] [9] Donors could also have a tree, park bench, or flag pole dedicated in honor of a veteran for $1,000, $2,000, or $3,000, respectively. [2] [9] Between 2007 and 2009, the committee raised over $100,000 in private donations and successfully applied for $47,500 in grant funding offered by the State of New York. [7]

By the spring of 2009, the committee had reached its funding goal to cover the cost of construction and the project was ready to be put out to bid. The Tonawanda Town Board agreed to designate space for the memorial at Walter M. Kenney Park and fully manage its construction. [7] [13] The project was put out to bid three times before an offer was returned within the range that the committee could afford. [7] [13] With a construction contractor confirmed and work set to begin, the memorial steering committee held a groundbreaking ceremony on May 22, 2009 at what was to be the future site of the memorial. Joining the steering committee that day were local military veterans and residents, as well as town and state officials. [14]

The "Blue Jet"

Plane Photo 1.jpg
F9F-6P Cougar Before
Plane Photo 4.jpg
F9F-6P Cougar After

Walter M. Kenney Park was the chosen location for the Town of Tonawanda Veterans Memorial for its high visibility from nearby roads, ease of access for pedestrians, and for its historical significance as the longtime home of a Korean War-era Grumman F9F-6P Cougar Naval airframe, on loan to the town from the U.S. government. [2] [11] The "blue jet," as it is often called, has been on loan to the town from the U.S. government since May 1959. [2] Today, the memorial sits directly behind the F9F-6P airframe.

During the construction of the memorial, a local auto collision business volunteered to refurbish the F9F-6P airframe. [15] To refurbish the aluminum structure, volunteers removed all old paint, pounded out dents, filled in cracks and gaps, repainted all surfaces, and applied decals to the fuselage and wings. [15] The entire process took roughly three weeks to complete.

Since its installation, the F9F-6P airframe had been used as a piece of playground equipment by local children. [11] However, in February 2009, town government officials received paperwork from the National Museum of Naval Aviation requesting that the town take full responsibility for the loaned airframe's upkeep and make an effort to prevent people from climbing on its wings and fuselage. [11] In response to this request, the town initially installed signage asking visitors to refrain from climbing on the airframe. However, the damage continued. Less than a year later, volunteers once again took to repairing the airframe, after which the town installed a four-foot high wrought-iron fence around the long-standing community icon. On July 11, 2014, a former resident of the area offered to commit an unspecified sum for the plane's upkeep if the town would remove the fence. The town responded that it is not permitted by the National Museum of Naval Aviation to permit people to climb on the plane. Further, it stated that because the plane was not maintained for a very long time, the last renovation required the use of carbon fiber, which is not resilient for climbing. [5]

Dedication Ceremony

The Town of Tonawanda Veterans Memorial was unveiled to the public in a dedication ceremony the afternoon of Tuesday, August 18, 2009. The Tuesday date was chosen to accommodate the event's keynote speaker, Colin Powell, who was scheduled to visit the area for a separate event in nearby Buffalo, New York later that same day. [16] Powell is connected to the Town of Tonawanda through his sister and brother-in-law, who were once residents of the town. [16]

Raising of the U.S. and POW/MIA flags at the Town of Tonawanda Veterans Memorial dedication ceremony, August 18, 2009. Dedication Flag.JPG
Raising of the U.S. and POW/MIA flags at the Town of Tonawanda Veterans Memorial dedication ceremony, August 18, 2009.

Over 1,500 people convened at Walter M. Kenney Park to witness the ceremony, including area residents, public officials, active military personnel, veterans organizations, and members of the Patriot Guard Riders. [3] [17] Invitations had been sent to those who made financial contributions to fund the memorial, but the event was open to the public and received significant media attention in anticipation of Powell's address. [16]

Colin Powell speaks at the Town of Tonawanda Veterans Memorial dedication ceremony, August 18, 2009. Powell at Dedication.JPG
Colin Powell speaks at the Town of Tonawanda Veterans Memorial dedication ceremony, August 18, 2009.

The ceremony featured multiple military, veteran, and police honor guards, a flag raising ceremony, several speeches, and the unveiling of the memorial's V-shaped granite monument. [16] [17] In addition, a member of the memorial steering committee read a letter from U.S. President Barack Obama written to the people of the Town of Tonawanda in recognition of the day's dedication ceremony. [16]

In his keynote address, Powell spoke of the Town of Tonawanda Veterans Memorial as a symbolic gesture of thanks to the military veterans it represents, and as a tool to educate youth on the meaning of military service. [4] [17] He stressed the role of young people in society and acknowledged that it was a teenage Town of Tonawanda resident that initiated the grassroots effort to build the memorial, saying that "sometimes it is the youngest people in our community who understand what's important." [17] Powell further remarked that the memorial's location, in a public park and adjacent to a playground, means that it will be readily visible to local children and that "it will speak to them silently, but powerfully." [17] He also discussed his appreciation of military service throughout the history of the U.S. and of his own military service, including his time leading the Joint Chiefs of Staff. [17]

Powell ended his speech on the topic of government policies aimed at providing services to military veterans, including health care and other benefits. On this, Powell said that offering those services to military veterans is as much a symbol of thanks as a memorial built in their honor. [4] [17]

Memorial Expansion

Second Wall Construction 1.jpg
Second Wall Construction 2.jpg
Construction of the second wall.

At the time of its dedication, the memorial listed the names of nearly 500 local military veterans categorized according to their branch of service across 12 granite plaques mounted to the memorial wall. [18] The wall itself was designed to accommodate a total of 1,000 names, with the expectation that names beyond the first 500 would be added to the wall over a period of years following construction. [18] However, it was just months after the dedication ceremony that the wall reached capacity. [5]

By the end of 2009, more names had been submitted for engraving than could be accommodated on the original wall. [19] In light of this, the Town of Tonawanda chose to initiate a second phase of construction to expand the memorial. That expansion took the form of a semicircular wall surrounding the back side of the existing memorial, adding space for up to 2,500 additional names across 30 new granite plaques. [19] Construction began in the spring of 2010 with workers carefully orchestrating the installation of the new wall around existing memorial fixtures. [5] [19]

Work on the second wall finished in time for the town to host a re-dedication ceremony one year after the first, on August 18, 2010. [5] [19]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vietnam Veterans Memorial</span> War memorial in Washington, DC, United States

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial, commonly called the Vietnam Memorial, is a U.S. national memorial in Washington, D.C., honoring service members of the U.S. armed forces who served in the Vietnam War. The two-acre (8,100 m2) site is dominated by two black granite walls engraved with the names of those service members who died or remain missing as a result of their service in Vietnam and South East Asia during the war. The Wall, completed in 1982, has since been supplemented with the statue Three Soldiers in 1984 and the Vietnam Women's Memorial in 1993.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tonawanda (town), New York</span> Town in New York, United States

Tonawanda is a town in Erie County, New York, United States. As of the 2020 census, the town had a population of 72,636. The town is at the north border of the county and is the northern inner ring suburb of Buffalo. It is sometimes referred to, along with its constituent village of Kenmore, as "Ken-Ton". The town was established in 1836, and up to 1903 it included what is now the city of Tonawanda.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Korean War Veterans Memorial</span> United States historic place

The Korean War Veterans Memorial is located in Washington, D.C.'s West Potomac Park, southeast of the Lincoln Memorial and just south of the Reflecting Pool on the National Mall. It memorializes those who served in the Korean War (1950–1953). The national memorial was dedicated in 1995. It includes 19 statues representing U.S. military personnel in action. In 2022, the memorial was expanded to include a granite memorial wall, engraved with the names of U.S. military personnel who died in the war.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grumman F-9 Cougar</span> US Navy carrier-based fighter aircraft in service 1952-1974

The Grumman F9F/F-9 Cougar is a carrier-based jet-powered fighter aircraft designed and produced by the American aircraft manufacturer Grumman.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">McKinley National Memorial</span> Mausoleum of 25th U.S. President William McKinley in Canton, Ohio

The McKinley National Memorial in Canton, Ohio, United States, is the final resting place of William McKinley, who served as the 25th president of the United States from 1897 to his assassination in 1901. Canton was a significant place in McKinley's life; he lived there, practiced as an attorney, and conducted his political campaigns from the town.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Women in Military Service for America Memorial</span>

The Women In Military Service For America Memorial, also known as Military Women's Memorial, is a memorial established by the U.S. federal government which honors women who have served in the United States Armed Forces. The memorial is located at the western end of Memorial Avenue at the entrance to Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington County, Virginia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial</span> Memorial in Washington, D.C.

The Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial is a national memorial located in West Potomac Park next to the National Mall in Washington, D.C., United States. It covers four acres (1.6 ha) and includes the Stone of Hope, a granite statue of Civil Rights Movement leader Martin Luther King Jr. carved by sculptor Lei Yixin. The inspiration for the memorial design is a line from King's "I Have a Dream" speech: "Out of the mountain of despair, a stone of hope." The memorial opened to the public on August 22, 2011, after more than two decades of planning, fund-raising, and construction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument (Cleveland)</span> Monument in Cleveland, Ohio

The Cuyahoga County Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument is a major Civil War monument in Cleveland, Ohio, honoring the more than 9,000 individuals from Cuyahoga County who served the Union throughout the war. It was dedicated on July 4, 1894, and is located on the southeast quadrant of Public Square in Downtown Cleveland. It was designed by architect and Civil War veteran Levi Scofield, who also created the monument's sculptures. The monument is regularly open to the public, free of charge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Japanese American Memorial to Patriotism During World War II</span>

The Japanese American Memorial to Patriotism During World War II is a National Park Service site to commemorate the contributions of American citizens of Japanese ancestry and their parents who patriotically supported the United States despite unjust treatment during World War II.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The North Wall</span>

The North Wall, also known as the Canadian Vietnam Veterans Memorial, is a war memorial in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. The monument was erected on July 2, 1995 in honour of the Canadian veterans who were killed in action, made prisoners of war, or declared missing in action during the Vietnam War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oregon Korean War Memorial</span> War memorial in Wilsonville, Oregon, United States

The Oregon Korean War Memorial is a war memorial located in Wilsonville, Oregon, United States. Completed in 2000, it honors the Oregon soldiers and the Korean people from the Korean War. The memorial is located within a 5.5-acre (22,000 m2) city park and features a 109-foot (33 m)-long granite wall that includes the names of those Oregonians who died or were listed as missing from the war.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fylde Memorial Arboretum and Community Woodland</span>

Fylde Memorial Arboretum and Community Woodland is a site of remembrance at Bispham, Blackpool, Lancashire, England. It is the only one of its kind outside the National Memorial Arboretum, Alrewas, Staffordshire.

<i>Indiana Law Enforcement and Firefighters Memorial</i>

The Indiana Law Enforcement and Firefighters Memorial, officially titled the Indiana Law Enforcement and Fire Fighters Memorial, is a public artwork and memorial dedicated to law enforcement officers and firefighters from Indiana who lost their lives in the line of duty. Its design and construction was the collaborative effort of a broad range of professionals, including architects, landscapers, engineers, and construction experts. The memorial is located adjacent to the Indiana Government Center North, on the northwest corner of Bicentennial Plaza and Senate Avenue in downtown Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. The memorial was dedicated on June 6, 2001, after ten months of planning and construction. The dedication was held three days before the opening of the World Police and Fire Games that were held in Indianapolis that year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gibraltar Cross of Sacrifice</span>

The Gibraltar Cross of Sacrifice is a war memorial in the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar. It is located west of North Front Cemetery, at the junction of Winston Churchill Avenue and Devil's Tower Road. The Cross of Sacrifice was designed by Sir Reginald Blomfield in 1917, and his monument is found in numerous Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemeteries. The cross in Gibraltar was erected by the Royal Engineers for the commission, and unveiled on Armistice Day 1922. The British Pathé film recorded at the dedication ceremony that day represents the first motion picture made in Gibraltar. The Gibraltar Cross of Sacrifice served as the focus of Remembrance Sunday ceremonies in Gibraltar until 2009, at which time the location was changed to the Gibraltar War Memorial.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Statue of Abraham Lincoln (District of Columbia City Hall)</span> Statue by Lot Flannery in Washington, D.C., U.S.

Abraham Lincoln is a marble sculpture of U.S. President Abraham Lincoln by Irish artist Lot Flannery, located in front of the old District of Columbia City Hall in Washington, D.C., United States. The statue is the nation's oldest extant memorial to the president and was installed several blocks from Ford's Theatre, where Lincoln was assassinated. Flannery was present at the theater on the night of Lincoln's assassination.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Military Working Dog Teams National Monument</span> National Monument of the United States in Texas

The U.S. Military Working Dog Teams National Monument is a monument to military working dogs located at Joint Base San Antonio (JBSA)-Lackland in San Antonio, Texas. The monument represents handlers, dogs, and veterinary support, from all military service branches that have made up the Military Working Dog program since World War II. The monument grounds include a 3,000 square feet granite plaza, granite pedestals, granite history wall, granite benches and water fountain. The granite pedestals have large bronze statues of dogs and handlers. The monument was dedicated on October 28, 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Queens Vietnam Veterans Memorial</span> War memorial in Queens, New York

The Queens Vietnam Veterans Memorial is a memorial at Elmhurst Park in Elmhurst, Queens, New York City in honor of the veterans of the Vietnam War of 1955–1975. It was designed by Landscape Architects Denise Mattes and Frank Varro, and fabricated by Sprung Monuments, Corinthian Cast Stone Inc., and Barre Granite Association Inc.

The Augusta-Central Savannah River Area (CSRA) Vietnam War Veterans Memorial is a granite and bronze monument placed in Augusta, Georgia, March 29, 2019, to honor the CSRA's 169 Vietnam War dead, three Ex-Prisoners of War (Vietnam), and one former Missing in Action (MIA) as well as the region's 15,000 surviving Vietnam War Veterans. The memorial is located in the "Olde Town" section of Augusta, Georgia, on the Broad Street median between Third and Fourth Streets. The monument was designed, purchased, and placed by the Augusta Chapter of the Military Order of the World Wars (MOWW) and the chapter's 17 community partners who made up the Augusta-CSRA Vietnam War Memorial Initiative (VWMI) Steering Committee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bigelow Monument</span>

The Bigelow Monument is a public monument in Worcester, Massachusetts, United States. The monument, located in a small cemetery at the center of Worcester Common, honors Timothy Bigelow, a Patriot during the American Revolutionary War. The monument was dedicated on April 19, 1861, the 86th anniversary of the start of the war.

References

  1. ↑ Watson, Stephen (August 18, 2022). ""Tonawanda football field renamed for longtime volunteer and former councilman"". The Buffalo News. Buffalo, NY. Retrieved February 15, 2024.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Pye, Daniel. (May 25, 2007). "New monument proposed for Kenney Field will honor all veterans". Tonawanda News.
  3. 1 2 Adamczyk, Ed. (August 20, 2009). "Something incredible just happened". Tonawanda News.
  4. 1 2 3 Kryszak, Joyce. (August 18, 2009). "Powell Helps Dedicate Tonawanda Veterans Memorial". WBFO News.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Habuda, Janice. (August 19, 2010). "Veterans memorial grows". Buffalo News.
  6. ↑ Gulley, Neale. (August 18, 2010). "Legacy of service on display in town". Tonawanda News.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 Pye, Daniel. (May 5, 2009). "Vets Memorial gets the go-ahead". Tonawanda News.
  8. 1 2 Habuda, Janice L. (August 19, 2009). "Powell urges all to honor the veteran". The Buffalo News.
  9. 1 2 3 Town of Tonawanda. Veterans Memorial donation pamphlet..
  10. ↑ Habuda, Janice. (July 10, 2009). "Work to begin on memorial for veterans at Kenney Field". Buffalo News.
  11. 1 2 3 4 Becker, Maki. (May 30, 2009). "Keep off Navy plane, Tonawanda children told". The Buffalo News.
  12. ↑ Pye, Daniel. (August 14, 2009). "Colin Powell to speak at dedication". Tonawanda News.
  13. 1 2 Pye, Daniel. (April 8, 2009). "Rec department offices to cost less than $1 million".
  14. ↑ Postles, Don. (May 22, 2009). "Veterans memorial construction begins" [ permanent dead link ]. WIVB-TV.
  15. 1 2 Adamczyk, Ed. (August 14, 2009). "Honoring those who served, and everyone else" Archived 2013-01-05 at archive.today . Tonawanda News.
  16. 1 2 3 4 5 Pye, Daniel. (August 14, 2009). "Colin Powell to speak at dedication". Tonawanda News.
  17. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Pye, Daniel. (August 19, 2009). "Colin Powell speaks at Veterans Memorial dedication". Lockport Union-Sun & Journal.
  18. 1 2 The Buffalo News. (August 15, 2009). "Powell to address dedication of memorial".
  19. 1 2 3 4 Pye, Daniel. (March 23, 2010). "Vets' memorial expansion planned". Tonawanda News.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.