In their ongoing efforts to honor the war dead of Perry and preserve their memories alive, the Perry Historic Preservation Commission officially unveiled Wednesday the four military statues recently erected at the veterans memorial in Violet Hill Cemetery.
The project was the 2016 brainchild of former Historic Preservation Commissioner Jeanette Peddicord of Perry. The four figures represent the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines, and each weighs about 160 pounds and stand 42 inches tall.
The figures were purchased by the Historic Preservation Commission for $250 each with money raised from the sale of the commission’s picture book, “Perry’s Memory Lane.”
The $600 cost of cleaning and painting the statues was paid by Perry High School students as a community-service project. The figures were painted by Created in Johnston Inc., and the F. K. Stokely Lumber Co. of Perry donated the concrete pads for the figures.
“Kudos to the boys of the Perry High School football team for all of their work on veterans projects as well as their donation,” said Commission member Joe McCarty at the ceremony Wednesday. “Creations in Johnston is remarkable to work with and goes out of their way to make sure the work they do is quality. Scott Stokely and Stokely Lumberyard are strong backers of Perry historic preservation and local veterans projects, making their actions something to be emulated by all of us.”
The PHS students volunteering with the project were Matt Hardy, Luke Rathje, Brian Barranco, Alex Morales, Kaleb Olejniczak, Cole Snyder, Avery Meister and Jordan Long.
The commission also thanked Perry Cemetery Director Richard Steadman and his staff for their assistance at Violet Hill Cemetery in the erection of the four U.S. military figures as well as with the ongoing repairs and improvements to the Grand Army of the Republic monument.
The PHS students also worked with the Perry Historic Preservation Commission on placing service medallions at the graves of all eligible U.S. military veterans buried in Violet Hill Cemetery. McCarty made an announcement about the medallions at the unveiling:
“We want every family to know that if they have a loved one who was a veteran and is buried in Violet Hill, then they are entitled to have a grave medallion placed free of charge,” he said. McCarty said families wanting medallions should contact the Perry Historic Preservation Commission at 515-465-2481.
Violet Hill Cemetery provides rest for about 1,200 U.S. military veterans. Some are celebrated and others repose in humble obscurity, but all are now honored a grateful community in the form of four soldiers standing in eternal vigilance.
