New Veterans Memorial
Planned for Warrenton
By Jared Acuna
A dream of 25 years is finally coming to life in downtown Warrenton. A commemorative bronze statue is soon to be erected on a pedestal near the flag pole area of the corner Post Office. The entire monument will tower the streets at over fourteen feet high!
Originally conceived in 1991, the shelved project has been dusted off due to the combined resolve of Albert Little and the VFW. The new Quartermaster of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Albert is a Warrenton native who served in the Navy for eight years followed by a towboat career and maritime instructor at CCC’s Mertz Campus before he retired.
Currently, his goal for the memorial project is to inspire veterans to extend their service to their local area. Albert hopes the new statue will stand as the centerpiece for this next chapter of veteran involvement in the community.
Quartermaster Little explained the sudden change of heart from the downturn of 25 years ago, “Many who were in their 50’s and 60’s are now in their 70’s and 80’s. The passion for the project we felt in 1991 has not diminished, but is now overshadowed by an urgent need to see it completed while we are still able to actively participate in the process.”
With a grant already submitted along with many other generous donations, Albert and the VFW has partnered their efforts with the City as well as enthused senators Betsy Johnson and Ron Wyden.
The monument itself, which has been designed by artist Mark Kinney, will solely represent Warrenton soldiers from WWI to the present. “Astoria has a Doughboy and Seaside has got a couple out there. This is a way to honor Warrenton and finally celebrate its service members.”
However, veterans from other surrounding areas can also be featured through an outlying brick garden around the memorial. As part of the fundraising process, any resident of Clatsop County is encouraged to immortalize a friend or family member who has served our country, regardless of their location, by purchasing one of these bricks. Styles run from $50 to $60 and can feature a name, rank and military branch logo.
The monument is cited to be fully finished by the end of the year, in what Albert Little described as, “a daily visual reminder to our next generation of leaders, our local youth on who our veterans were and what they sacrificed.”
For more information or to donate to the VFW and their community projects, please visit: www.vfwfortstevens10580.com
