A note from Symmes Township Administrator, Gerald Beckman about the memorial:

The Symmes Township Board of Trustees recently purchased seven (7) panels of a Military Memorial Wall designed and built by Laser Imaging & Design of Lebanon. Each panel is four (4) feet wide by eight (8) feet tall, made of black granite etched by laser. There is a panel representing the distinguished pictorial history of each of the branches of service, Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, and the Coast Guard. There are two (2) additional panels, one depicting an etched picture and poem dedicated to the cavalry soldier of the West; the other is a memorial poem dedicated to all who served.

An additional panel will be created pictorially commemorating women’s outstanding service to the military. Another panel will be blank allowing for a listing of sponsorships by both businesses and individuals.

There are three ways you can be a part of this endeavor:

• Purchase a memorial brick for a current or past member of the military at a cost of $100.00. This brick will be installed into a brick plaza in front of the appropriate branch of service the individual served.

• Purchase an individual sponsorship (no businesses) for $100.00. The individual’s name (limited to 30 characters/spaces in one line) would then be etched into the blank panel documenting his/her support for as long as the wall stands.

• Purchase a business sponsorship for $500.00. The name of the business (limited to 30 characters/spaces in one line) would then be etched into the blank panel documenting its support for as long as the wall stands.

If you are interested in participating in any of the above ways, please download and fill out the appropriate form and mail it with your check to Symmes Township, 9323 Union Cemetery Road, Loveland, Ohio 45140. Feel free to copy the forms and give them to your family and/or friends. This fund drive is not limited to residents or businesses of Symmes Township; everyone is welcome.

Symmes Township reserves the right to reject any inappropriate requests.

At this time I can’t give you an exact date for the installation of this wall nor can I advise where it will be located. The Board has appointed a citizen’s ad hoc committee to make appropriate recommendations.

As a young man I served with the 25th Infantry Division in Viet Nam in 1966 and 1967. It is my intention to purchase at least one brick for myself and probably another one commemorating the sacrifices made by my father who was in the Army during WW II. Please join me in recognizing all those sacrifices made by all of the men and women who have served this country.

Sincerely,

Gerald L. Beckman
Township Administrator