Veterans Memorial plaque sales continue
By JIM FAILE
The first 84 memorial plaques needed to fill the first wall for the Hartsville Veterans Memorial have been sold, Hartsville city officials said.
In fact, as of Thursday morning, the city had sold 102 of the memorial plaques, 18 more than needed to fill the first wall, according to Sherrie Griggs with the city Planning Office, which is handling the sales.
The city needs to sell 10 more plaques by today’s 5 p.m. deadline to begin the second wall and have those additional plaques mounted in time for the Nov. 11 dedication ceremony for the memorial, Griggs said. “We’re trying to get to 28 and we can go ahead and start the second wall,” she said.
A subcommittee of the Hartsville Veterans Memorial Committee has been meeting regularly to plan the dedication ceremony on Veterans Day. The event will feature patriotic music and special recognition of veterans. U.S. Sens. Lindsey Graham and Jim DeMint and U.S. Rep. John Spratt have all been invited to attend the event, which will take place at 11 a.m. in Burry Park in downtown Hartsville.
Organizers are still trying to arrange a fly-over of F-16 fighter aircraft for the event.
The ceremony will be open to the public.
The veterans memorial will consist of five massive monuments arranged in the shape of a pentagon, each bearing a bas relief bronze sculpture depicting American service personnel in five different conflicts, World War I, World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War and the Persian Gulf Wars (Iraq, Afghanistan and Somalia).
Each monument stands 10 feet, 8 inches tall and 5 feet wide and will weigh from four to five tons.
Each bronze panel weighs from 800 to 1,000 pounds, according to sculptor Charlie Pate of Greenville, the Hartsville native who created the sculptures.
A 30-foot flagpole will rise from the center of the pentagon of monuments.
The bronzes will be mounted on the outside walls of the monuments. The inside wall of each monument will bear memorial plaques in memory of or in honor of a veteran. The memorial will have space for 420 of the 4-inch-by-9-inch black granite plaques. Each plaque will include the name of the veteran, rank, branch of service and the conflict in which he or she served. Space will also be available for a photograph of the veteran and a listing of up to two medals awarded to the individual.
Prices for the plaques range from $295 to $375 depending on content. The veteran being honored must have some tie to Hartsville or Darlington County.
No more than one veteran may be included on a single plaque, and applicants must provide proof of the veterans honorable discharge from the military (DD214 form) or its equivalent.
The plaques are being sold on a first-come-first-served basis. The city will continue to sell plaques after the official dedication. As each wall is filled, a special ceremony commemorating the occasion will be held.
The city is selling the plaques to help pay for the cost of the memorial.