Salute to Sacrifice

Westerville marks Veterans Day with the grand opening ceremony of the new Veterans Memorial

By Maisie Fitzmaurice

On Veterans Day, Nov. 11, the Westerville Parks and Recreation Department will hold a dedication celebration officially opening the new Westerville Veterans Memorial. In addition to honoring veterans, the new memorial’s purpose is to educate the community on the important sacrifices made by veterans, active military personnel and their families.

The city’s Veterans Day celebration will begin as it always does, with the annual Veterans Day breakfast at the Westerville Community Center, starting at 8:30 a.m. and ending at 10:30 a.m. The pancake breakfast is $5 per person and free to veterans.

Immediately following the breakfast, the celebration and opening of the new memorial begins promptly at 11 a.m. at the Westerville Sports Complex located across the street. Free transportation from the community center to the sports complex will be available.

Mayor Diane Conley will give an opening speech at the dedication, and veterans and community leaders have been invited to give speeches as well. Formal military traditions – including a performance of the national anthem, Taps and retiring of colors – will be carried out during the ceremony.

Planning for a new, upgraded memorial started in June 2020 when the city decided to repurpose the decommissioned armory building where the memorial was previously housed. A committee of roughly a dozen people, including military representatives active in the city, coordinated and planned the layout and features of the new memorial.

This memorial will differ from the original, boasting artful landscaping designed by urban planning and design firm MKSK. The new space will include an abundance of flowers and greenery, with a gold star garden honoring veterans who have passed. The larger and more spread-out memorial allows space to walk along the pathway and gather in groups.

The pathway illustrates the stages of military life, including enlistment, training and preparation, deployment, and ultimately returning home. The new memorial’s pavilion area can seat over 200 people.

“As long as we were going to relocate the memorial, we decided to expand it and make it a more meaningful space for the veterans,” says Laura Ball, parks and facilities development administrator.

While the new memorial will be larger and grander than the old, displays from the old memorial will be moved to the new one.

The design of the memorial includes six flags for each branch of military service, an American flag, an Ohio flag and a city of Westerville flag. The pavilion is decorated with the great seal of the U.S. and a description of military awards, including the Gold and Blue stars.

The committee wanted to make sure that the sacrifices made by veterans’ families wouldn’t be overlooked. One feature of the memorial is a printed excerpt of a

speech given by a daughter of a veteran in the Westerville community.

“The sacrifices that the veterans are making take them out of their homes and put them in harm’s way sometimes, and that is scary and unnerving for the families around them,” Ball says. “It provides family challenges for young families, and there are a lot of emotions that come with being proud of your service person, but also being scared for them.”

The committee hopes the new space will offer a place where veterans, their friends and families can connect and pay respects all year long, Ball says.

“It gives our veterans a place where they can go and reflect and gather together to reflect on service,” she says. “There are places of solitude within the memorial, and places of pride.”

Beyond the ceremony, the city will recognize veterans all month long with the Westerville Military Banner Program. Westerville residents can purchase a banner that will include the veteran’s name, branch of service, military ranking and a brief biography. The banners are displayed in Uptown Westerville until December, when they are returned to the immediate family member of the veteran or displayed at the memorial.

The sacrifices veterans make for their country will always be valued by city officials and the community, Ball says.

“Veterans are critical to what makes the United States the United States,” she says. “They deserve all of our respect for the sacrifices that they make for us.”

Community members are encouraged to attend the celebration and donate to the Westerville Parks Foundation to help fundraise for current and future developments celebrating veterans and bettering the Westerville community.

Maisie Fitzmaurice is a contributing writer at CityScene Media Group. Feedback welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com.

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