Preparation to lay the foundation for the new Tenino Veterans Honor Roll Memorial Wall officially began on the morning of Tuesday, March 18, as those involved with the project took measurements and began clearing wood chips in preparation for workers to dig the hole for the foundation.
Endless Mountains Contracting owner Richard Guzoto used a wooden frame, measuring tape and stakes to center and mark out the memorial wall’s location in Tenino City Park just outside of the Tenino Quarry Pool’s fence.
He was joined by Tenino Stone Carvers Guild stone cutter Keith Phillips, American Legion Department of Washington District 10 Commander Frank Sterling, Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Auxiliary Post 5878 member Trudy Burnham and Tenino Mayor Dave Watterson.
While Tenino City Park already has a memorial dedicated to veterans, it is dedicated to veterans throughout Thurston County.
That’s why the Tenino Honor Roll Committee, lead by VFW Post 5878 Surgeon Frank Hicks, has been leading efforts to get the Tenino Veterans Honor Roll Memorial Wall built for over a decade.
The Tenino Honor Roll Committee also includes members of the local American Legion chapter and the South Thurston County Historical Society.
Once completed, the Tenino Veterans Honor Roll Memorial Wall will be 13 feet long, 6 feet, 10 inches tall and 2 feet, 8 inches wide.
It will be composed of Tenino sandstone, Wilkeson sandstone, Pennsylvania bluestone, polished granite, concrete building blocks and plaster, according to design blueprints.
During the official groundbreaking ceremony for the wall held earlier this month, Hicks told The Chronicle he anticipates it will likely cost around $30,000 or more to complete.
VFW Post 5878 is currently holding a fundraiser to help pay for construction costs, including selling paving bricks for the memorial for $100 and honor-donor bricks for $1,000.
The honor-donor bricks will be included in the monument and as of the groundbreaking ceremony, they had raised close to $10,000. Additionally, Hicks has pledged his estate to ensure all financial costs will be met if the necessary funding to complete the monument isn’t raised.
Those interested in purchasing either a paving brick or honor-donor brick to help fund the new monument can visit VFW Post 5878 in Tenino to fill out the donation form and make their donation, or contact the post for information on mailing a donation in. VFW Post 5878 is located at 285 Sussex Ave. E. in downtown Tenino. For more information, call VFW Post 5878 at 360-264-5420 or join the Friends of VFW Post 5878 Tenino, WA Facebook group at https://tinyurl.com/26ch7unr.
