Photo taken at 2007 Veterans Day Service by Mike Gooldy, Winfield News
MEMORIAL DAY SERVICE
Vietnam Veterans Memorial at Stoney Run County Park
Monday, May 26, 2008
2:30 p.m.
Recognize those who gave the ultimate sacrifice for our freedoms
Presented by the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Committee and Hosted by the Lake County Parks
Veteran's Recognition Service
Vietnam Veterans Memorial at Stoney Run County Park
Saturday, November 8, 2008
10:30 a.m.
Join us as we remember and honor those who served and gave so much for our freedoms
Presented by the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Committee and Hosted by the Lake County Parks
VIETNAM
VETERANS MEMORIAL AT STONEY RUN COUNTY PARK
Visitors
to Stoney Run County Park see the flags of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial as
they drive into the park. This
salute to veterans had its beginnings in 1973 when three large boulders were
put in place by Marine Company A, 6th Engineer Battalion of Gary
in Stoney Run County Park. The
memorial began as one family’s effort to honor the memory of their son and
others like him. David M. Baum
was one of the 261 young people from Lake County and one of more than 58,000
from across the United States who gave their lives for our country while
serving in Vietnam. David’s
death brought cards and letters of sympathy to his parents and brother,
John, also a veteran during the Vietnam conflict.
Sometime later, distraught over the treatment afforded most of the
returning Vietnam Veterans, Mr. And Mrs. Henry Baum of Crown Point
established the David M. Baum Memorial Fund.
Community support provided additional funds, materials, and labor
leading to the dedication of the memorial.
For
a long time, however, plans to complete the memorial went unfulfilled.
The Vietnam War continued to be a painful, controversial issue, and
support for a tribute to its veterans waned.
Then early in 1982 several Vietnam Veterans, along with Lake County
Park and Recreation Department staff members, coordinated efforts with the
Vietnam Veterans Leadership program of Indiana to sponsor a Memorial Day
service and family picnic at the park.
Shortly
after that initial joint effort, the VVLP of Indiana welcomed the Vietnam
Veterans Memorial Committee as part of its organization.
Again, donations of funds, materials, and labor made Phase I of the
memorial beautification possible. Countless
hours of donated services from individuals and groups went into the memorial
development.
By
Memorial Day 1984, 8,000 face bricks and 80 yards of concrete had been laid,
forming a low wall topped with 460 feet of limestone and encircling the
memorial. Hundreds of Vietnam
Veterans stood in the rain at a very moving dedication service.
It was a new beginning. Phase
II added a new face to the memorial’s south side with the construction of
two wing walls. The other walls
were raised and 14,000 paving bricks were laid in place.
New landscaping was planted and the memorial was again ready for the
1986 Memorial Day service
Early
in 1989 it was decided that the memorial would not be complete without the
permanent inclusion of the 262 names of the Lake County servicemen who
sacrificed their lives during the Vietnam War so that project was begun.
A list of names was compiled by Lake Central High School students under the
direction of teacher Tom Clark. His classes have been instrumental in
many similar projects for many years. On August 28, 1989, the Lake County Commissioners signed a
proclamation declaring the memorial at Stoney Run County Park the official
Lake County Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
Phase
III was the addition of the names in granite and the replacement of the
single flagpole with three new flagpoles.
This phase took two years to complete with the official dedication
taking place on May 4, 1991. As
noted at the memorial, the black granite plaques listing the names of those
who died during the conflict, not only quantifies, but personalizes, Lake
County’s sacrifice for the Price of Freedom.
As
1999 approached, the memorial walkways and walls were in need of repair and
the committee thought it was time to show unity and appreciation for all
veterans. A grant was secured
through the Lake County Parks from the state of Indiana to redesign the
walkways. Construction began
again and on Veterans Day, 1999, the VVMC fulfilled another goal as they
dedicated a second monument
DEDICATED
TO ALL WHO HAVE SERVED – THANK YOU VETERANS.
The
VVMC salutes the many municipalities, organizations, veterans, businesses,
labor organizations, Tom Clark and the students of Lake Central High School,
and individuals who have contributed toward the
expansion and beautification of the memorial over the years.
Your overwhelming response has helped broaden the foundation of a
fitting tribute to 262 young men from Lake County, who along with 58,000
nation-wide, gave their lives for our country, and for those of us who
remain. The efforts of all who have dedicated their time and energy will
continue until the memorial is complete.
All proceeds go to the programming and completion of the monument.
The
Vietnam Veterans Memorial Committee invites everyone to visit the memorial
throughout the year but especially extends an invitation for on Memorial Day
and on the Saturday prior to Veterans Day.
Stoney Run County Park is located between Crown Point and Hebron, just north of route 231. From I-65 take route 231 for about 4.5 miles to 145th Avenue then left, past the Korean War Memorial, to the park.