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As is often the case, several topics were discussed during last Tuesday’s City Commission meeting.

Among them was a concept dear to the heart of many veterans.

Clark County Veterans Council member Chuck Witt presented a proposed World War II and Korean War Memorial.

“We think it’s time to get this memorial built, and we’re here tonight to ask the city to dedicate that piece of property located at the southeast corner of Broadway [Street] and Church Alley for the World War II [and] Korean War Memorial,” Witt said.

Coincidentally – and interestingly enough – Tuesday’s meeting coincided with the 79th anniversary of the Normandy landings, often referred to as D-Day, in which the United States and other allies undertook the largest seaborne invasion in history to begin liberating western Europe from Nazi occupation.

Witt was supported by other veterans in the audience, including Roy Hudson.

The Clark County Veterans Council, recently reconstituted with new bylaws and qualified as a 501(c)(3) organization, began earnestly advocating for the memorial after it was first brought to mind several years ago.

During a 2021 interview on Mornings on Main with Tim Smith, Witt mentioned that estimates showed approximately 270,000 World War II veterans remained. However, they were passing away at a rate of roughly 7,000 per day.

As of June 2023, approximately 167,000 World War II veterans remain.

“We’ve lost 100,000 in a year-and-a-half”, Witt said. “In three years, there won’t be any.”

Between 1941 and 1945, 82 service members from Clark County lost their lives during World War II.

During the Korean War, lasting from 1950 to 1953, another 19 individuals were killed.

As such, the proposal of the World War II and Korean War Memorial includes placing 101 marble plaques in the ground to symbolize each life lost during the two wars.

Each plaque would bear their name, rank, unit, as well as the date of both their birth and death, with individuals able to use an end pedestal to learn where each died.

Regarding dimensions, curved walls will only be 18 inches high, as visitors will have a place to sit and contemplate. The length of each wall will represent the number of days for each conflict, with the dates of each inscribed.

A 40-foot flagpole with the American Flag and the POW/MIA flag will be present and illuminated with a solar-powered light, with seven trees, each representing a year of the war.

A sidewalk leading to the memorial would have memorial bricks.

Rather than glorify, the memorial intends to be a place where others can acknowledge the services of those who served Clark County during both wars and paid the ultimate price.

Robert Pritchett, who owns Bargains on Broadway, voiced support for the effort.

“Broadway’s a nice area, and that will be an asset,” Pritchett said. “We should thank our veterans, every single one, every day we see them.”

Witt commented that ample room would be available.

“I think we come at the perfect point of time both for the city and the Veterans Council. The city now has, in its possession, a vacant lot which apparently is unsuitable for a building,” he said. “[It’s] a low maintenance, open space proposal that we believe would be a valuable asset to the community.”

Witt estimates that potential costs for the memorial could be approximately $250,000, though no official number has been set.

The Clark County Veterans Council has previously received some funding.

No action was taken during Tuesday’s meeting.

For more information about the project, contact Chuck Witt at wittc1940@gmail.com.