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FAIRMONT -- The proposed Martin County Veterans Memorial was just an idea 14 months ago, but plans are to complete the first half of the two-phase shrine this year.
And that will require funds.
"I've been involved in veterans issues for years, and this is probably one of the neatest things I've been involved in," said Chuck Mixson, who worked on the MCVM design.
He credits Jim Miller with initiating the project.
"Jim's the one that got this whole thing going. This isn't just a Fairmont thing. This is a countywide thing," said Mixson, pointing out that MCVM committee members hail from every veterans organization in Martin County.
Miller, committee chairman, said his inspiration came from a Faribault County monument, and he felt strongly that Martin County veterans should be likewise honored.
"There's a magnificent veterans display in Winnebago," he said. "Fairmont lacks this. It's needed here in Fairmont. We've got to do something to recognize our vets."
Mixson called the response to the memorial overwhelming. When Miller called him wondering if Doug and Diana Kahler would sell some land on Winnebago Avenue, which he felt was an ideal spot for the MCVM, Mixson approached Kahler, a Vietnam vet, with the proposal.
"I asked Doug, and he said, without hesitation, 'I'll donate it to you,'" Mixson said.
Fairmont Monuments has agreed to provide the various monuments at cost, and S&J Excavating is donating its services. Ben Landsteiner, marketing and social media coordinator for the Fairmont Area Chamber of Commerce, has loaned his technical expertise by putting together a three-dimensional representation of the project, and once complete, the project will be sold for $1 to Martin County whose commissioners have agreed to maintain it.
"It's just unbelievable the way people in this county are coming together to help get this done," Mixson said. "We're hoping to do groundbreaking by May, and hopefully, by the end of the year, we will have Phase I completed."
Currently, about $75,000 has been donated to the $500,000 project. In an effort to continue fundraising, MCVM committee members are willing to visit businesses and organizations to show the three-dimensional representation and explain the project.
The Winnebago Avenue property measures about 75 feet by 429 feet, a little shy of an acre in size. The first phase of the project will focus on the front portion of the lot.
"There's going to be a 5-by-8-foot red granite sign, representing the blood shed for our country, that can be seen on Winnebago Avenue from either direction," Mixson said. "There will be a parade ground that comes about 100 feet into the property. About 120 feet in, there's going to be a 70-foot flag pole that we think can be seen from the Interstate. Behind the flag, we're building a 75-foot wall in a slight 'V' with 25 feet on one side and 50 feet on the other."
This memorial wall will be etched with names of Martin County military veterans.
"The cost of having a name put on the wall is $200," he said. "We have to raise this money somehow, and it's the perfect way to honor somebody in your family."
The committee has been working on a way to include veterans from World War I, for example, that no longer have families around.
"If you didn't get a DD214, which is your separation paper from the military), you are not a veteran. That means that the National Guard members are not considered veterans, but we didn't like that," Mixson said. "We think that somebody who's spent 20 years in the National Guard should be recognized also so we're going to have a separate part of the wall for Guard members."
However, Guard members who saw active duty deployments qualify as veterans.
Three statues will be situated in front of the wall.
The second phase will focus on the area behind the wall. Plans are for a berm with a waterfall or fountain and a path with granite benches for visitors to sit and reflect.
"There's a bunch of trees that I helped Doug (Kahler) plant almost 15 years ago, and they're almost fully mature now," Mixson said. "We're planning on having five life-size solders in a patrol going through the trees. One solder will be a World War I soldier, and one from World War II, Korea, Vietnam and present day Iraq/Afghanistan. This symbolizes the troops out there guarding us all the time, putting their lives on the line for the freedoms that we enjoy in this country."
The committee also is trying to procure a Cobra attack helicopter from the U.S. government. The helicopter will be mounted on a pole so it looks like it's about to land.
Another special aspect of the memorial will be the bibliographies of the veterans honored on the wall. Landsteiner is setting up a web domain to maintain this information.
"When people go to the memorial, they can use their cell phones and go to our website. You can find the biography of a person on the wall," Mixson said. "The information will be there in perpetuity. It'll be there forever."
Donations are 100 percent tax-deductible and can made payable to Region Nine Area Inc. with a memo designation to "Martin County Veterans Memorial" and mailed to MCVM, P.O. Box 623, Fairmont, MN 56031.
For more information on the MCVM, contact Mixson at (507) 236-1072 or Miller at (507) 236-1026 or by emailing mcvmproject@gmail.com