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Posted at: 11/11/2009 10:48 PM Memorial Helps Town Honor Vets(ABC 6 NEWS) - Veterans Day is a time to thank men and women for serving our country. But this year, the Veterans Day scene was quite a bit different for the town of Stewartville. Just a few days ago, residents unveiled their long-awaited veterans memorial, and it played a big roll in many celebrations on Wednesday. Just off of Highway 63 in Stewartville, two bronze soldiers sit on display for all to see. The faces of the war stricken soldiers show despair and pain, a feeling that's all too common among veterans. "I spent 20, 30 years in my life trying to forget a lot of the things I did," said Stewartville Vietnam Veteran Dean Ramaker. "It was a troublesome time for our country, there was internal unrest in our country," said Stewartville Vietnam Veteran Douglas Mathwig. But this new memorial isn't a place about forgetting, it's about remembering. "It’s a commemorative place, a lot of them come here to reflect. They read the names of people who have served," Mathwig said. Over two hundred names are on engraved into the memorial. The names on each block are those of friends, family and neighbors. "They range from young guys in the military right now all the way back to the First World War." The memorial presents a picture of the past, but in the present, it’s creating a sense of wonder among many, even the younger generations. "I told my mom about this statue because my teacher told us about this statue and I wanted to see it for myself," said Stewartville Student Tyler Janssen. "I think it's a way to show everyone that they were fighting for our country," Janssen added. And that's something veterans hope both the young and the old always remember. "Let’s never forget 'em, let's keep ‘em in our prayers," Mathwig said. The memorial took about three years of planning and fundraising to complete. It cost about $120,000.
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