Memorial groundbreaking hosted Monday

Dozens of people observed Memorial Day by attending the groundbreaking ceremony Monday morning of the Cornerstone Military Memorial located at the corner of Hull and South Knox streets.

Christian Missions Pastor Eugene kicked off the event with a prayer thanking God for those that have served in our military and dedicating the memorial to him as well as our military men and women.

Jacksboro Fire Department’s Assistant Chief Jeff Jackson and Sebastian Vela raised the flag at the memorial leaving it at half-staff.

Jacksboro City Manager Mike Smith, a retired US Air Force veteran, spoke of what Memorial Day means to him.

“I particularly look forward to this day because it not only give me a special opportunity to remember friends and fellow veterans that did give the ultimate sacrifice, but it also reminds me that one week after Memorial Day in 1992, I arrived at officer training school in San Antonio and started a 20-year journey that changed my life and my wife’s life forever,” Smith said.

He recounted how during his two decades of service, he and his wife, Brenda, met some of the most inspiring people in the world and traveled places he would otherwise have not had the opportunity to see.

“We met politicians and world leaders and some of them are on the news everyday. But most importantly, we met common people doing uncommon things,” Smith said. “We met people who inspired us simply by their daily actions and incredible morals. We interacted with and became friends with many of the less than one-half percent of the population of this country that will ever serve in the military and we continue to be honored to have had the opportunity.”

He said one of the most important aspects of military service was the opportunity to change people’s lives.

“Whether we had the chance to change the life of a soldier, sailor, airman or marine that we met along the way or whether it was the opportunity to change the life of an Iraqi woman or man that I met during a yearlong deployment,” Smith said. “It didn’t matter who it was or where it was, the opportunity to be a positive influence on someone has always been and always will be very important to me. I think we would all agree that Eugene Weldon has that same spirit of drive.”

He said Jacksboro and Jack County have needed a memorial for a long time to honor those that have scarified for our freedom and thanks to Weldon’s efforts along with those of James Hamm and his staff and more, there will soon be a special place to honor some incredible heroes.

Smith spoke of the attitudes toward military men and women returning from Vietnam and how by the time of the first Gulf War, the US had made a concerted effort to make sure its warriors were honored.

“The bad thing is that we have become accustomed to tragedy. The high school class that recently graduated have never known a time in this world, in their lives, that we have not been at war,” he said. “Even though most of us no longer think about it on a daily basis, the fact remains that there are evil people in this world that want to wipe away our Christian values and our way of life.”

But there are also people in the US trying to do the same.

“Today our soldiers, sailors, airmen, marine and coast guardsmen, are proud to wear their uniforms in public, but at the same time, we have police officers and first responders that are being targeted and killed for no other reason then the fact that they’re wearing a uniform and doing the exact same thing that our soldiers are doing on a daily basis — protecting our freedom,” Smith said. “So I want to thank Eugene for not just making this a military memorial, but as we move forward, we’re also including all of our first responders. They are every bit as important at protecting our way of life and helping us prevent the erosion of our values as our military members are.”

He ended with a prayer from Gen. George S. Patton just before the Germans made a surprise attack into Belgium leading up to the Battle of the Bulge. It had been raining for weeks costing many American lives in battle and due to the environment. Patton had the prayer printed on postcards and distributed to every soldier in his command. 

“After the soldiers received the prayer, it stopped raining and the Allies were able to turn the tide and defeat the Germans,” Smith said before reading the prayer.

“‘Almighty and merciful Father, we humbly beseech thee of thy great goodness to restrain this immoderate rains with which we have had to contend. Grant us fair weather for battle. Graciously hearken to us as soldiers to call upon thee that armed with thy power, we may advance from victory to victory and crush the oppression and wickedness of our enemies and establish thy justice among men and nations. Amen.’”

Smith said a formal ceremony on Memorial Day 2018 is planned to celebrate the completion of the military memorial.

Following Smith’s words, Kord Weldon led the group in singing the “Star-Spangled Banner.”

Eugene Weldon explained his vision for what is now just poles and metal frames. There is also an I-beam cross that has been erected. 

The area around the memorial will be landscaped to match that of the Jacksboro Chamber of Commerce and the Cornerstone Community Center.

A sidewalk will be added around the memorial and within the inside circle of the memorial. Each of the frames will hold 3-foot by 5-foot granite sections on both sides with information engraved on each military branch.

The names of veterans that will be placed on one piece of granite on the inside of the memorial include all those who graduated from a Jack County high school that were killed in action. Weldon said there are approximately 80. Another will list the members of the Lost Battalion. 

There will also be room for those who wish to purchase bricks with their name and military service information to place at the memorial.

There are flag poles set to hold the flags of each branch of the military at the back of the memorial along with a POW-MIA flag. In the center are three flagpoles — one each for the flags of the United States, Texas and Israel.

There will be scriptures carved on rocks and more throughout including, “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord.” Psalm 33:12.

So far, everything that has been done with the exception of the cement to set the poles has been donated toward the creation of the memorial.

Weldon explained how this was something he wanted to see created for many years.

“When I graduated high school in ‘78, I turned 18 the February before. When I turned 18, my class had to go and register for the draft,” he said. “I’d watched Vietnam growing up and I saw all that took place. I saw the riots and everything, the way they treated them coming back and whenever I turned 18 and I had to go and register everybody said, ‘It was a political war, Vietnam, and they’re going to do another one with y’all. That’s why they’ve re-instituted the draft.’ 

“So we all felt like we were fixing to get drafted. I started looking into the military and started looking around Jacksboro and I realized that we didn’t have a war memorial here. I’d go to other counties and their courthouses would have incredible monuments. It just started at that time, I kept telling everybody, ‘We need a war memorial.’

“We didn’t have one. Here I am, next year will be the 40th anniversary of that. God says he gives us the desires of our heart. Well so many times, the desires we have are just selfish desires. I realize that this was something that God put in my heart that we were supposed to honor these men and women from this county and we hadn’t done that. Well he moved me back to this county and so that’s why this has taken place. I truly feel like this is something that God put on my heart as an 18-year old. As a 58-year old, I’m going to get to see its completion.”