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$40K project rehabilitating veteran memorial

Posted at 4:58 PM, May 30, 2016
and last updated 2016-05-30 16:58:59-04

OWEN COUNTY, Ind. – In one Indiana county, those who have served are being remembered this Memorial Day not just through services and events, but through a very special project.

The project is all about making sure the names of local veterans are never forgotten, even through the passing of time.

But right now their names are literally fading away from the Owen County war memorial outside the county courthouse in Spencer.

The blocks of the Owen County Veterans Memorial Board – each of which represents someone from that area who served their country – are slowing eroding.

In some cases, the blocks are cracked and crumbling. In others, names are becoming increasingly difficult to make out.

Now, a solution that’s been 3 years in the making is making headway.

More than 250 of those blocks – each with a black “X” on them – are being replaced.

That’ll cost the county about $40,000.

And while the blocks that need to be replaced aren’t exactly terrible-looking, organizers say that’s not the point.

They say they want to show respect for veterans every day, not just on Memorial Day or Veterans Day. They want each and every one’s name to be remembered forever.

“This is a proud county of their veterans, and I know because I’m a veteran,” Owen County Veterans Memorial Board President Michael Harvey said. “And people respect their veterans in this county, and it’s important.”

The renovations are expected to be wrapped up in about 3 weeks.

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