“This project will elevate the memorial of veterans in this community but also the veterans who still live here,” said Karla Garrett Harshaw, a member of Wright Dunbar Inc.’s board of directors.
The Dayton City Commission recently approved a resolution authorizing Wright Dunbar Inc. to erect a Medal of Honor memorial in Friendship Park, which is part of a gateway into the Wright Dunbar neighborhood at the foot of the Third Street Bridge.
This project will revitalize the World War I memorials that were installed in the park in the 1990s and a couple of Gold Star Mothers memorials, said Dayton City Manager Shelley Dickstein.
Dickstein said the new memorial will be the centerpiece of the park, which has become tired and is seldom visited. The park will be renamed Honor Park.
The Medal of Honor is the highest award for military valor in combat.
Out of the 41 million people who have served in the U.S. military, the medal has only been given to 3,517 service members who “went above and beyond the call of duty.”
More than 330 Ohioans have been awarded the Medal of Honor, and local leaders say this includes 41 people from the greater Dayton region.
Recipients include William H. Pitsenbarger, who joined the U.S. Air Force after graduating high school in Piqua.
Pitsenbarger flew 300 rescue missions in the Vietnam War. “Pitts” — his nickname — was killed in the spring of 1966 while helping defend soldiers who were pinned down by the enemy in the jungle. He helped save more than 60 men.
Harshaw said the memorial also will better connect downtown and the Wright Dunbar neighborhood.
It will be another attractive element near the eastern end of the business district. There’s already a statue caddy-corner to Honor Park depicting the 1905 Wright Flyer lll, which was installed last year.
Harshaw said the new memorial hopefully will bring visitors to the area, increasing foot traffic in a business district that has seen a lot of growth.
Dayton Mayor Jeffrey Mims Jr., an honorary chair of the campaign that is raising money for the project, said the memorial will be unifying, bridging the cultural divide between downtown and West Dayton.
Local leaders say that Dayton is a military town with lots of veterans in large part because of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.
More than 101,000 veterans currently live in Butler, Champaign, Clark, Greene, Miami, Montgomery and Warren counties, according to the U.S. Census. Veterans account for about 6% of the local population.
In a memo, Dayton City Attorney Barbara Doseck wrote that this project will be an important part of the many major initiatives that are underway to upgrade amenities and spur development along the Great Miami River and other local waterways.
A variety of partners have been trying to reimagine and remake the riverfront, which could include the creation of new parks near Honor Park.
The Honor Park groundbreaking is planned for Nov. 7. The anticipated completion date is the summer of 2025.
Donations are still being sought. Some of the funding that is raised will be used for the long-term maintenance of Honor Park.
You can donate online to the Medal of Honor Campaign Fund #2231 at https://bit.ly/medal-of-honor-memorial
Or mail a check to the Dayton Foundation, Medal of Honor Memorial Campaign Fund #2231-,1401 S. Main St., Suite 100, Dayton, OH 45409. (The foundation is supporting the project as a component fund of the foundation. )
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