The Official Newspaper for Foster County
The Official Newspaper for Foster County
Lyle Black (left), Sergeant of Arms, Sons of American Legion Carl Bostrom Post and Douglas Dreher, Commander, American Legion Carl Bostrom Post, stand in front of the new veterans memorial in McHenry.
The original Carl Bostrom Post # 160 Veterans Memorial was built in 1957 at the site which at that time was the American Legion Building. The monument was a brick-and-mortar type structure which displayed the names of local men and women who had served in the armed forces.
After 70+ years, the monument was starting to show signs of deterioration with no available space to add additional names of service men and women. In the summer of 2019, inquiries were made on what could be done to repair the memorial with the possibility of adding a new section. However, it was determined that the cost of repairs would be quite extensive and so the focus shifted to the possibility of a new veteran's memorial.
A committee was formed spearheaded by Sue Bakko and Darlis Short and the planning and the fund-raising efforts began. After a great start with freewill soup and sandwich luncheons, it all quickly came to a halt in March of 2020 with the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The efforts turned into looking at other options for raising the needed funds to replace the memorial. The committee received numerous donations from citizens and various businesses within the area. They were also fortunate to receive gaming funds after submitting request applications.
Next, planning turned to looking and researching the type of memorial that would suit the community. Many miles were traveled viewing memorials in other communities to determine the best course of action.
In April 2021, the new monument was ordered through Hatton Granite Co. of Hatton, N.D. After waiting 11 months due to all the shipping issues at the ports that were also caused by COVID. The black granite memorial arrived from India. Hatton Granite was soon able to start the engraving and personalization process on the memorial.
The old memorial was removed in June 2021 and a new concrete slab was poured in July. The new memorial was placed on the site in August of 2022, along with the flag poles. The American Legion and the Sons of American Legion raised the flags at the new memorial on August 17, 2022.
This Veteran's memorial is proudly displayed in McHenry, thanks to the efforts of so many people of McHenry and surrounding communities, so all the men and women who have served our country are honored.
The men and women whose names are displayed on this memorial hold a very important part of the history of the community. The memory of their service and sacrifices for our nation will remain displayed prominently for many generations to come.
