“We think it’s important to honor the people who have helped make our country the great country we are,” says Gary Turner, who researched and designed the project. “It’s important to recognize the sacrifices they made. It’s important that families know we appreciate them.”
The idea began three years ago after the church had relocated from nearby Shawnee. Ultimately, the design called for three poles on which fly the American, Kansas, and Christian flags.
The church dedicated the flagpoles on Memorial Day 2007. The church wanted to do more, however, and decided to construct the plaza.
The church financed the project by selling bricks with the names of members and relatives engraved in the bricks. Families also purchased three memorial benches.
Turner designed the V-shaped plaza, which is located within a larger triangle of bricks. A monument dedicated to all veterans includes the seals of all five branches of the U.S. Armed Services.
Turner designed the project after traveling to several area veteran memorials as well as brick plazas that had been used for fundraisers. He studied more than the designs, however.
His research led to more than 100 names of veterans from the church. To date, church members have purchased more than 150 bricks denoting their own service or that of friends and relatives.
The bricks honor veterans of World War I, World War II, Korea, Vietnam and the Civil War. There also are bricks for National Guard and Reserves members, a brick for a member of Canadian Air Force, and one honoring an individual expected to soon be serving in the South African military.
A Marine League color guard raised the flags during the ceremony. The event was followed by a lunch accompanied by patriotic music and hymns. A slide show featured veterans’ pictures during their active duty days.
