More names continue to be added to the Hartington Area Veterans Memorial

HARTINGTON – The number of veteran names included on one of the six monuments at the Hartington Area Veterans Memorial continues to grow daily.

Just since the May 27 memorial dedication, an additional 52 veteran names have been sponsored and will be added to the 1,060 names already engraved on the monuments.

This will bring the total list of names to 1,112.

According to memorial project chairman Dan Kathol, people who have seen the memorial now that it’s completed are now wanting to add their names, a relative’s name or simply a friend’s name to the memorial.

The criteria for including a veteran name on a monument allows for any living or deceased veteran who has any affiliation or tie to the Hartington area and has completed active military service, including the National Guard and Reserves.

Those currently on active duty or in the National Guard or Reserves also qualify.

The veteran must be or will be honorably discharged. Veterans can be added even if they did not live in the Hartington area, but have family or friends here.

Many family names have disappeared from the Hartington area over time and any relative or friend of these families would qualify as veteran names that can also be added to the memorial.

“We cast a pretty broad net when encompassing the Hartington area, to include a 25-mile radius of Hartington, and to include as many veterans who have any ties to this broader Hartington area so we don’t miss any veteran who would like to call this Hartington area memorial their home. If the veteran’s name is on another veteran memorial somewhere, they are welcome to be included on the Hartington area memorial as well,” Kathol said.

The influx of new veteran names to be sponsored and engraved on the monuments devoted for veteran names is expected to continue and be ongoing. The first 52 new veteran names will be added to the current monument after the letter “Z” names where there is space for 68 additional names. Two new smaller monuments have been ordered and the heading on the stone will be ADDITIONAL VETERANS and the veteran names will be listed on the stone in the order they are received.

The two shorter monuments will be four feet high versus the current six-foot-high monuments and they will be placed just to the south of the current monuments and inside the fence, and the names will only be engraved on the front side. The top of the monuments will be even with the top of the fence. The new smaller monuments will accommodate 50 additional names each.

In the future, and if needed, an additional two identical monuments can be placed just inside the fence on the north side to balance out the memorial.

“We want to be able to offer space for any-and-all future names far into the future, which the new monuments will accommodate. The $215 cost to sponsor a veteran is the amount being charged by the monument company to come out and engrave names using a portable engraving device. Before they come out to engrave a name, the monument company needs at least 10 veteran names to make the trip affordable and to keep the price of the sponsorship at $215 for the foreseeable future,” Kathol said.

To sponsor a veteran, the first name, middle initial, last name and the branch of service is needed for the veteran. A form to be filled out is provided to gather the needed information, including the contact information in case there are any questions. A form may be picked up at Steffen Drug or the Hartington city office or a form may be mailed or emailed out by calling or texting Kathol at 402-640-3334 or emailing him at kathold@hartel.net. Forms also may be found and printed by going to the Hartington Area Veterans Memorial Facebook page.

Individuals wanting to sponsor a veteran should do so as soon as possible.

“Individuals are encouraged to look back into their family history to find veterans dating back as far as the Civil War up to the present time. Possibly family members can go together to fund the $215 sponsorship fee.

When contemplating sponsoring a veteran, think how special it is or will be to see a loved one or friend’s name engraved forever on the granite stone, to be seen by current and future generations. Seeing that name is priceless,” Kathol said.