A small-town memorial worth stopping for

The brilliant sun proclaimed “spring” but the bitter wind from the northwest whispered “winter” on Wednesday afternoon when I first visited the Glen Alpine Veterans Memorial.

Located just off U.S. 70, directly across from Foxhole Pizza, the monument is an easy thing to miss if you’re going past it at 35 mph.

Trust me, it’s worth stopping for.

The flags of our nation and of each of our military service branches flutter in the wind directly behind the monument.

In front of the monument stands The Battlefield Cross, which features a rifle pointed downward with a helmet perched on the stock and a pair of soldier boots at the base.

Interpretations vary regarding the meaning of the components, and how they are placed. The rifle facing downward means the soldier was killed in action; the placement of the boots signifies that the soldier has marched the final march to battle and will never be forgotten.

And, on the main monument are bricks bearing the names of nearly 200 Glen Alpine men and women who have served in the military.

To visit the monument, you can park across the highway at Foxhole Pizza — be careful, it’s right busy at certain times of the day — or in the parking spaces up the hill toward the downtown business strip.

Either way, it’s a slightly dangerous stroll and a darned near impossible one for a handicapped person or an older person whose mobility is limited.

Well, some folks in Glen Alpine are looking to remedy that by building a small lot with spaces for four cars (with one handicapped space) immediately adjacent to the monument.

My first reaction when Alderman Reid Scott told me about the plan and invited me for a visit was, “Ain’t no way there’s enough space there to park any cars.” But there is.

In fact, the N.C. Department of Transportation has already given its approval to the construction of the small parking lot and the driveway, which will link it at either end to U.S. 70.

“It’s definitely needed,” said Scott, as we gathered in front of the monument with Jim Glick and Fred Costner. “A lot of veterans simply aren’t able to walk very far, and some parking here would make it safe and easy for them to visit.”

Over the last several years, the Glen Alpine Ruritan Club, the American Legion, and the Board of Aldermen have raised more than $14,000 to pay for improvements to the monument, including landscaping the area and putting concrete around its base.

The cost for that work was a bit north of $9,000. The estimated cost for the driveway, parking lot, and changes to the sidewalk, Scott said, is around $20,000, meaning an additional $16,000 needs to be raised.

“We appreciate the support folks have given us to get the monument where it is today,” Costner said. “But we’re going to need a bit more help to make it a safe and easily accessible place for veterans and their families to visit.”

Scott explained that the group would like to have money to place a couple of park benches near the monument and also to do some additional landscaping.

Contributions to support the continued development of the monument may be mailed to: Rev. John Terry, P.O. Box 203, Glen Alpine, N.C. 28628.

Spaces remain on the monument for a number of additional bricks, which may be purchased at $50 apiece.

Bricks may be ordered by calling Costner at 828-584-0148 or Howard Rich at 828-584-2116.

Is this effort worthwhile?

I’ll let the quote inscribed at the base of the monument answer that question:

“The nation which forgets its defenders will itself be forgotten.”