Cicero American Legion and VFW to dedicate Veterans’ Memorial Wall

Indianapolis – The American Legion, Department of Indiana James Evans Post 341 in Cicero, Ind., is hosting a ribbon-cutting, dedication ceremony on Saturday, July 22 at 11 a.m. for their newly constructed Veterans Memorial Wall at the entrance of Red Bridge Park in Cicero.
 
“Our purpose of this wall is to honor all who have served and who are serving and who will serve in the future,” said Post 341 Commander Joseph “Jody” Brown. “We are honored to be able to recognize our servicemen and women and all of the veterans who have proudly served our country and our community.”
 
Construction of the wall has been a community effort. Local businesses contributed significantly to cover the materials including 2400 bricks, 170 concrete blocks, 260 linear feet of rebar, 8 tons of sand, 40 bags of mortar and 7 yards of concrete. A local construction company is in charge of building the memorial.
 
The 36-foot wall will have on its face five, 21-inch circles, each with the logo for the five branches of the armed forces. In addition there will be two 24-inch by 21-inch plaques honoring the American Legion and American Legion Riders Post 341 and the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post of Cicero, Ind. Behind the wall will stand three flag poles displaying the American flag in the center, the POW/MIA flag and the Indiana state flag. These will be illuminated dusk to dawn. Across from the wall on the east side of the circular walkway will be a black granite bench with a back attached that will have engraved images representing each of the five branches of the military. The plaques on the wall will also be black granite, imported from India, engraved by a local artist.
 
The Cicero VFW, Legion Riders and the Legion each donated money toward the cost of the wall. In addition, our local citizens and businesses rallied to help raise the $19,000 needed to completely fund this project.
 
“This memorial will serve as a legacy for the Cicero American Legion Post 341 and the local Veterans of Foreign Wars chapter for decades to come,” said Brown. We are very proud of this project and the privilege we have of not only representing the American Legion and VFW, but also honoring our servicemen and women.”
 
The public and media are invited for this momentous ribbon cutting ceremony on Memorial Day, Saturday, May 22 at 11 a.m. at the entrance of Red Bridge Park located at 697 W Jackson St, Cicero, IN 46034. For more information contact Post 341 Commander Brown at 765-292-2148 or call the post directly at 317-984-4441.