A monument paying tribute to all the brave Oxford men who gave their lives defending the United States during times of war will be constructed in Centennial Park in the coming months.
The Oxford Village Council Feb. 8 gave its approval to the placement a six-foot tall, life-size statue of an American G.I. in the downtown park as a memorial to the 43 Oxford men who perished while serving in the Civil War, World War I, World War II and Vietnam War.
Local veterans groups including American Legion Post 108, AMVETS Post 108, American Legion Auxiliary Unit 108 and Sons of the American Legion Squadron 108 are financing the project estimated to cost between $4,000 and $5,000.
The statue is being purchased from the Lennon, Michigan-based JeanKrupp’s Novelty Shop: Home and Garden Decor.
Weighing approximately 100 pounds, the full-color statue is made of resin, a special blend of natural marble and high-tech liquid bonding agents.
‘Resins are harder than a plastic, (but) not as heavy as concrete,? said Paula Masterson, operations manager for Jean Krupp’s Novelty Shop: Home and Garden Decor. ‘The manufacturers say (it) can withstand the winters in Michigan.?
According to Jim Parkhurst, military museum curator for Post 108 and past post commander, the statue will be placed on top of a five-to-six-foot high cement block covered by a stone facade.
The front of the block will contain a polished black granite surface upon which the names of Oxford’s 43 fallen heros will be laser-etched, Parkhurst said.
Parkhurst is hoping to have the ?-to-?-inch-sized letters highlighted in white so they appear like those on the Vietnam War Memorial wall in Washington D.C.
Space will be left on the monument in case more names need to be added someday.
‘God forbid something should happen in Iraq, we can always add a name if we have to,? Parkhurst said. ‘I hope that never happens.?
Above the honored names will appear the words ‘Lest We Forget,? the motto of the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR), an organization established in 1866 for Union veterans of the Civil War. The GAR’s last national gathering was in 1949 and the last member died in 1956.
Although there are other war memorials in Centennial Park, Parkhurst said the monument is needed because nowhere in the park do all these names appear.
He noted there’s a World War II memorial bearing 14 names, but a total of 17 Oxford men died in that conflict. Small memorials honoring those who served in the Civil War, Vietnam War and Gulf War are also in the park, but none feature any names.
‘We need something to honor everybody from Oxford who made the supreme sacrifice,? Parkhurst said.
Parkhurst said the local veterans groups are hoping to dedicate the new monument on Memorial Day, if the weather cooperates for construction between now and then. If not Memorial Day, he said it would probably then be dedicated on the Fourth of July.
A spot in the park for the monument must still be selected, according to village Manager Joe Young. He said council made its approval contingent on the location being coordinated with the Oxford Community Development Authority’s Design Committee.
Parkhurst said there’s been talk of placing the statue in the eastern portion of the park (near the sidewalk along S. Washington St./M-24) and having it face downtown’s main street.
To make sure all the Oxford soldiers who died in wartime are properly remembered and no names are omitted, Parkhurst asks readers to look over the list following this article carefully. To his knowledge, no Oxford soldiers were killed in the Korean War, however, Parkshurst said space for the 1950-53 conflict will be reserved on the monument just in case any names are discovered.
If you know a name that should be added, Parkhurst can be reached at (248) 693-2444.
‘We don’t want to forget these guys,? he said.