More than three years ago, Rick Black, veteran of the Vietnam War and an active member of VFW Post No. 4793, spearheaded an effort to bring the Vietnam Veterans Traveling Memorial Wall to Greene County. Rick turned to other like-minded individuals and together the group formed a committee (Greene County Salute to Veterans) in early 2016 and began the arduous task of bringing the traveling wall to Waynesburg.
After a year and a half of fund-raising and planning, the committee was successful in their endeavor and the wall traveled to Greene County in September 2017. “It was like nothing I had ever seen,” says Connie Hart, committee member. “The people poured to the fairgrounds” for the event, dressed patriotically, bringing donations, and volunteering their time to assist with the event however needed. An estimated 10,000 people came through the fairgrounds during the four days the memorial was available and monetary donations continued to pour in. “We were blown away,” Connie adds.
After the event, the committee met to decide what to do with the money donated by attendees. Originally they thought to donate it to a veteran organization, but someone suggested a veterans memorial park. “People really care about their veterans, and the turn out for the wall reflected that,” says Connie. “We decided that creating the Greene County Veterans Park would give people a needed outlet to show their support and gratitude.”
A representative from the committee went to the commissioners and asked for a place to build the park. The commissioners offered a spot near the county’s tennis courts, just a short distance from the Greene County Historical Society Museum and new WWI memorial.
To design the park, the committee spent a lot of time looking at other memorial parks around the United States. The park will have a circular layout, with a podium in the middle for ceremonies. Behind the podium will be the main memorial, carved from black granite. Arranged in a circle from the main memorial will be the large, gray granite markers bearing veterans’ names on both sides and messages from loved ones carved into its surface. Each monument holds 160 names. Benches will also be spaced around the circle to allow for quiet contemplations. The nearby WWI memorial will connect to the memorial park by sidewalk. The open design of the park allows for future expansions, also.
The park is not just for Greene County veterans, but for all veterans;, alive or deceased. If you would like to remember and honor a veteran, names will always be available for purchase. Those names or ‘bricks’ that are purchased before the end of 2019 can make special requests in regards to placement. Bricks cost $200 for the interior and $150 for the exterior of the gray granite memorials. Granite benches can be purchased and engraved for the cost of $2,500.
The committee is also looking for sponsors that would like to assist with other costs related to the park. “The park is an expensive endeavor,” shares Connie. “But we’ve had a lot of volunteers and sponsors that have helped us.”
The park is scheduled to be dedicated on Memorial Day 2020 and is currently on-target to reach that goal. If you have any questions or would like to volunteer, donate, or purchase a brick, please contact Connie Hart at 724-852-1252 or cmhart@windstream.net.