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VALLEY — The World War II Monument in Veterans Park that was broken earlier this year in an apparent act of vandalism has been replaced. This year’s annual Memorial Day program in the park will be a good time to come out and see it. It will be starting at 11 a.m. EDT on Monday, May 26th.

The granite marker bears the names of local men who lost their lives during World War II.

Three other granite monuments in the park have the names of local men who died in the Korean War, the Vietnam War and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

One of the two markers turned over in the vandalism incident was undamaged and has been put back in place. The WW II Monument was broken into two pieces and had to be replaced.

Post 67 of the American Legion, which was organized in 1946 by local veterans returning from World War II, is still active and hosts programs in the park on Memorial Day and Veterans Day. Post Commander Lanny Bledsoe is hoping for a big turnout for this year’s program. If the weather’s good that day, it will be an ideal time to see the four monuments and reflect on the supreme sacrifices made by young men who had grown up in the Valley and were willing to serve our nation in a time of crisis.

The monuments tell a remarkable story. Each one has the soldier’s name, his hometown, what branch of service he was in the day he died and where he was at the time.

The 72 men whose names are engraved in that stone died in places near and far. All were in service at the time. Some of them died as close to home at Fort Benning. Many died in either the European or Pacific Theater of the war. One man died in Perth, Australia, which is farther away from the Valley than either the North Pole or the South Pole.

Some died in training accidents and some died in combat, but all died for their country. For that brave sacrifice, their name should be remembered.

To draw attention to the monuments on Memorial Day, stantions will be in place to display U.S. flags on both sides of the monuments.

What’s now observed as Memorial Day began in the years following the Civil War. Soldiers who had died in both the North and South were remembered on May 30th of each year in what was then called Decoration Day. The name was changed to Memorial Day following World War I and became a federal holiday in 1971. For many people, Memorial Day weekend is all about celebrating the coming of the summer season.

“Memorial Day is not just a day off work, a day to have barbecues or to go to the beach,” said Post Commander Bledsoe. “It’s a day to honor those who served our country in the military and especially, to honor those who died while in service. It has been said that all those who served gave some and some gave all.”

In past local Memorial Day programs, cards were given out that said: “A veteran is someone who, at one point in their life, wrote a blank check to the United States of America for an amount up to and including their life.”

“There are 93 names on the four monuments we have in this park,” Bledsoe added. “These are more than just names. Each one is someone who grew up in the local area, went off to war when they were young and never returned home. Their death left a void in the lives of their family, friends and loved ones.”

There are 72 names on the World War II monument, six on the Korean War monument, 14 on the monument for the Vietnam War and one name on the Afghanistan/Iraq Monument.

The lone soldier from the local area who died while serving in that most recent conflict was killed 18 years ago this Friday. Sgt. Brandon Hadaway was the crew chief on a Chinook helicopter that was shot down in Afghanistan on May 30, 2007.

Bledsoe thanks the City of Valley for the job they do in keeping Veterans Park a beautiful, serene place. He would like for local school groups to take field trips to the park to see the monuments and be aware of the sacrifices some local men have made in defending our way of life and keeping our country free.