Thursday, March 28, 2024
From left are District 15 VFW Auxiliary president Lynn Smith, Vienna mayor Jon Simmon,Vienna VFW Post commander Clarence Caraker, Pat Lamb of Bailey-Lamb Monument Company, Shawnee Professional Services owner Mitch Garrett and DAR Regent Juanita Broyles.

Groundbreaking held for new honor roll

There were around 50 people gathered on the lawn of the Vienna Carnegie Library on Friday afternoon for the ground breaking of the new Johnson County Honor Roll. Richard Brumley of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Beggs-Gurley Post 5222, who has led the charge to have this new monument built, introduced each of those who held a shovel for the ground breaking.

The VFW Auxiliary provided hamburgers and hotdogs to those in attendance of the ceremony.

The Johnson County Honor Roll is a memorial, intended to honor Johnson County citizens who served in the various branches of the United States military. Members of the VFW have organized fund raisers and gathered resources in order to replace the current, deteriorating monument.

More than $50,000 were raised through donations from individuals and businesses in order to build the new structure.

Countless hours were dedicated to research in an attempt to gather the first names of the individuals on current memorial.

The monument is expected to be completed by Memorial Day 2016, weather permitting.