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Bronze honoring veterans unveiled in Norris Park
With a voice full of emotion, Trenton Klimper read a letter he received from a Vietnam Veteran who donated funds for his Eagle Scout project, a bronze sculpture honoring veterans in Norris Park.
Vietnam Veteran Larry Sitzman wrote to Trenton and told him about a close friend, Jerry Walters, who was a classmate of Sitzman's at Culbertson High School. Jerry loved farming and dreamed of getting married, raising a family and farming one day. He was drafted into the Army and sent to Vietnam. Three days following his 23rd birthday, Jerry was killed in Vietnam on June 30, 1968. Sitzman thinks of Jerry often when he sees a magnificent field of corn or smells fresh turned soil.
Sitzman went on to write, "Trenton, you will learn that people who served in war don't talk about it. Many say 'Dad doesn't talk about the war.' They had suffered and seen the horror of war and they never want their children to witness what their eyes and souls were trying to forget. So instead of talking about the war, they taught us to honor our country with patriotism and service. They taught us to remove our hats and place our hands on our hearts when our flag passes or our National Anthem is played. They taught us to pay homage and respects on Memorial Day to those they knew, like Jerry, but now are gone from this earth."
That letter served as an inspiration to Trenton, and gave his project special meaning. He told the crowd gathered, many of them veterans who donned their uniforms for the tribute, how important it is to remember. "Remember what happened and remember those that gave the ultimate sacrifice so that we can go on living in a free country."
The sculpture, entitled "Going Home", was created by Sondra Jonson of Cambridge and depicts an angel carrying a fallen soldier. According to Jonson, "the soldier, having given everything for our country -- for our freedom, is not defeated by death but is on his way to eternal life." Beneath the soldier is an American flag, which is resting on a cloud, "so it will never touch the ground." The artist chose to only put a few stars on the flag, nine raised and two recessed, so that the stars would stand for 9-11, "a day we can never forget."
Jonson told the gathering that she took her inspiration for the sculpture from two verses of Scripture. Isaiah 25 states "He will swallow up death in victory and the Lord God will wipe away tears from off all faces" and I Corinthians 15, "and this mortal shall put on immortality."
Senator Ben Nelson, who has also earned an Eagle Scout Award from Troop 147 in McCook, conveyed his appreciation for growing up in a community that cared about him and his future. He also expressed his encouragement that young people like Trenton are so moved about honoring the military.
"When monuments like this one that dot our towns and cities all across America come into being, they unite us as a country, inspiring generation after generation," stated Nelson. " . . When we look at this beautiful monument, we will be reminded of those ordinary people who are called to perform extraordinary acts of courage and service for their country. And we'll be reminded of a young man, who in the year 2009 completed his Eagle Scout project, and in so doing, took some important steps in his own life - steps that will help us to remember the lives of those who have served and continue to serve our country."
Trenton gave special recognition to all of the donors who made the project possible, as well as several individuals who helped him along the way including the Beckenhauer family, Kyle Potthoff and the city crews, his Scout Leader, John Zlomke, his parents, Preston and Carolyn Klimper, and his grandmother, Norma Barnett.
As the Veterans of Foreign Wars gun salute and the military bugle call, Taps, eloquently closed the ceremony, the crowd bowed their heads for a moment of silence. At that moment in time, the sculpture accomplished Trenton's goal -- everyone took a few moments to REMEMBER.