Sons of the American Legion monument dedicated in Boscawen
Ceremony marked the end of a two-year effort to create the monument
Ceremony marked the end of a two-year effort to create the monument
Ceremony marked the end of a two-year effort to create the monument
A solemn dedication ceremony was held Saturday in Boscawen to honor New Hampshire’s fallen veterans.
A six-foot tall, 3,500-pound monument was dedicated at the State Veterans Cemetery by the Sons of the American Legion.
The two-year effort to make the monument a reality began when members of the organization noticed there was no marker for the Sons of the American Legion at the cemetery.
“We decided that we should step up to the plate and actually put one out there for our fallen veterans here in the state,” organizer Gary DesRosiers told WMUR.
The organization has about 6,400 members in the state and raised nearly $40,000 to have the granite statue created.
“The monument is more than a piece of granite,” said David Stephens. “It serves as a reminder that the Sons of the American legion are serving the veterans, widowers, and their families.”
The marker now stands to recognize the suffering and sacrifice of New Hampshire’s veterans of all services.
“There’s people that put their lives on the line not only defending our freedoms, but defending people around the world,” said national commander Danny Smith. “We need to really honor and respect and pay a debt of gratitude to those individuals and I think this is an opportunity to do that with a memorial of this type.”
Organizers say they hope the stone will also serve as a reminder that all veterans deserve to be treated with dignity and respect.