Vets support Warren memorial

By Tim Yovich | March 13, 2008 at 12:02a.m.

More than half of $300,000 needed for the military memorial project has been raised.

CHAMPION – Paul Brady served in Vietnam with the 1st Infantry Division.

While with the “Big Red One” on July 10, 1966, Brady was wounded in the leg and spent three months in a hospital.

He figured his injury was a ticket home to Trumbull County, but instead he was sent back into action to complete the remaining three months of his one-year tour of duty.

Now, at age 63, the Champion Township retiree is supporting the construction of the Trumbull County Veterans Memorial that will be built in downtown Warren’s Memorial Park next to the county courthouse.

“It’s more exposure for the veterans, and it gives veterans more respect,” Brady said while attending a news conference about the memorial at the Northeast Ohio Electrical Trades Institute here.

“I’m proud I served my country. I try to tell my grandchildren about it,” said Brady, who has four grandchildren.

The project cost is $300,000.

The centerpiece of the memorial will be a statue of a World War II Marine with rifle at shoulder poised to fire. A 40-inch-tall wall will be halfway around the statue. It will be made from bricks with the names of veterans, with some historic information such as where and when they served. The bricks cost $50 or $100 each.

“It represents everyone who has put on a helmet for their country,” said Jim Rapone, who served in the Marine Corps during Vietnam and is a member of the project steering committee.

Pavers that cost between $500, $1,000 and $5,000 for veterans groups, businesses and civil groups will create a patio-type floor around the statute.

Sue Shafer, a member of the project’s steering committee, said $162,500 has been collected thus far. Most of the money, or $108,000, has come from the sale of bricks and $14,500 from paver sales. Also, $40,000 has been raised through grants and sponsorships.

Groundbreaking will be Memorial Day, May 23, and dedication will be the weekend of Veterans Day.

A number of entities are providing free services. These include Western Reserve Building & Construction Trades Council; Baker, Bednar and Associates Inc. of Howland, which designed the memorial; Phoenix Design Engineering of Boardman, lighting; Lynn, Kittinger & Noble Inc. of Warren, survey and engineering; and Jack Gibson Construction Co., general contracting.

In cooperation with Warren city, the project is being sponsored by Trumbull 100, Western Reserve Veterans Memorial Association and (Warren) Tribune Chronicle. For more information, including how to purchase of bricks and pavers, contact Shelley Taylor, Trumbull 100 president, (330) 393-2587, and Shafer, (330) 841-1600, ext. 696.

yovich@vindy.com