Since You Asked - Donators� names go on vet wall

Mail Tribune (Medford, OR — Wayback)

2001-06-27

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Donators� names go on vet wall A question about the veterans park at Stewart Avenue and South Pacific Highway in Medford: At the south end there is a wall with panels bearing hundreds of names. The question is this: Are these the names of people who served in the armed forces or are they the names of people who made contributions? My name is on one of the panels. I made a contribution for the building of the memorial. I also served as a captain in the 15th Army Air Force, piloting a B-17 bomber in missions over Nazi Germany. So is my name on the panel because, along with the other names, I was in the armed forces? Or is my name there because I made a contribution? � Alan A., Medford Your name is on the wall because you made a contribution to the volunteer effort to build the wall, Alan. The Medford Veterans Park is the result of an effort by the Veterans Memorial Committee, headed by Phoenix resident Al Mullis. In 1994, the committee took up the work left unfinished by an another veterans group which had sold nearly 10,000 bricks for $10 each to make a memorial but failed to complete its mission begun in the 1980s. The goal of Mullis, a businessman who retired from the Army, and others is to place the names of all contributors on the walls, thus making good on the promises of the earlier group. In addition to the donor walls still being completed, the memorial includes seven tall pedestals honoring all the military services and a "circle of honor" containing all the names of Southern Oregonians killed or missing in action from our country�s wars. The city of Medford maintains the park, originally created to honor local people killed in World War I. Contributions to help with the memorial can be sent to: Veterans Memorial, P.O. Box 29, Phoenix, OR 97535. ("Since You Asked'' is a daily feature in the Mail Tribune that answers questions from readers on virtually any topic of general interest. To submit a question, e-mail us at [email protected] Please include your name, address and phone number for verification. If you have specific questions about our Web site or other questions about the Mail Tribune, please send them to [email protected] )   Obituaries | Sports | Business | Classifieds |  Tempo | Prime Times | So Oregon Sites | Outdoor Journal | Subscribe | Contact | Movies | Advertise | Real Estate Showcase | Archive  | Editorials | Letters to the editor | Religion | Wake-up Call | NIE | Cyber Chef | Job Network | So Oregon Weather | WSJ Northwest | Forums | AP Wire | AP Money | F.A.Q. | Awards Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. The Community Newspaper Subsidiary of Dow Jones & Co, Inc Copyright �The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA