The new veterans memorial at Latham Memorial Family Park has quickly become a fixture in California, thanks in part to the work of two local veterans and ample support from the community.
Veterans Bob Staton and Ron Harlan have been heavily involved in the memorial's design, helping to bring the space from a simple idea to reality. Though still a work in progress, it's a space that has already been utilized for a community event commemorating the 20th anniversary of 9-11, and the pair said they hope it will be utilized more and more once work is finally complete.
Both Army veterans, Staton served in Vietnam for about 18 months starting during June 1969, after he'd attended basic training at Fort Leonard Wood. He also was an Army reserve for a number of years after his active service, though was never deployed again. Harlan enlisted during September 1971 after finishing college, also undergoing basic training at Fort Leonard Wood. Because he had an aptitude for science and mathematics, he was put into a missile division and was later deployed to Germany for two years to train individuals in the Air Force NATO division about ballistic concepts.
Stories of service are important to the pair. Staton said they hope to incorporate a QR code when the memorial is finished that visitors can scan to hear stories from local veterans.
"That's one of the concepts we're trying to build into the veterans memorial," Staton said. "We talk about stories. Everybody has stories."
Along with those stories, Staton also said they hope to incorporate another element -- a granite slab added this week that includes artwork detailing various images related mostly to California and Moniteau County's military history -- as a learning tool. The ultimate goal, he said, would be that area teachers could use these tools as a lesson plan for their students, helping them to learn more about the veterans in their community. The memorial's within walking distance from California Elementary School, and the pair said it's valuable that students will have easy access to learn more in an interactive experience.
"We left (the images) somewhat obscure, because we were hoping that when people look and say 'Well, what could that be?' that they'll look it up," Harlan said. "We hope maybe the kids will do that. ...And the QR (code), too, for hopefully some local flavor and some stories of our veterans. We hope the community's proud of it. We're sure proud of the contributions and the support that's been given to this."
Community support has indeed been in large supply -- in fact, California Progress, Inc. (CPI), the organization handling fundraising and continued planning at the park as it is still in progress, has already had the veterans memorial portion fully-funded for a while thanks to that community enthusiasm. Harlan said they've been surprised -- even though the memorial isn't yet complete, there have already been events hosted there. It leaves the pair glad there's so much excitement about the memorial.
A key figure early on in the idea's life was the late Morris Burger, Staton said. Burger, a veteran himself, originally approached him stressing that a memorial like this was something the town needed. Staton recalled that Burger told him "Raising money won't be the problem -- finding a place to put it is going to be the problem."
It worked out well, Staton said, when CPI purchased the old site of Latham Sanitarium, which was demolished during 2019. CPI divided the property into thirds, and the western side was to be used to bring the pair's vision to life.
"What to put in it and everything, we kind of just brainstormed," Harlan said. "Who wants what and what would you like to add, and Morris Burger said 'I've always dreamed of having an arch of some type to walk under' and we put that down. ...We just wrote some thoughts down."
Burger would surely be pleased today to see that arch has become a reality. Its construction has followed quickly on the heels of that early brainstorming work.
After a few quick concept sketches, the pair rapidly obtained approval to move forward from both CPI and the City of California, as both groups were keen about the project. The park will eventually be taken under the care of the city, as CPI agreed to handle the work to construct each element beforehand. Someday soon, when that work is complete, Staton said he hopes to establish some sort of fund to help the city with upkeep for the memorial, a pursuit which he said he has already heard some interest about from fellow community members. The Moniteau County Historical Society, located right across the street from the park, has also indicated a willingness to help manage the information submitted for the eventual QR code, Harlan said.
It's taken a village in more ways than one. Harlan said the pair has also tried to incorporate local manufacturing as much as possible at the memorial. Rackers Manufacturing, for example, built the whole structure that supports the entry arch. The pair also discovered that a skilled welder, Barry Crawford, lived nearby and turned to him for some assistance repairing a statue that had been damaged during shipment. That led to yet another discovery -- that the Marty family, also nearby, were experts in refurbishing statues and could help them to repaint the piece. Crawford was an expert in his own right, Harlan said -- he'd previously been called to New York City to fix the New Year's Eve ball when it wouldn't work.
Most of this specialized work, the pair said, has been free of charge.
"There are people, we have found out, that are highly, highly skilled," Harlan said. "...These people are right here in our community, which is a story in itself, we think."
These neighbors -- and now friends -- have made an impact on what Staton said is already an important symbol for veterans in the community.
"When I returned from Vietnam, (veterans) didn't feel very appreciated," Staton said. "And that's one of the things I think the veterans memorial (does), it makes you feel like you were appreciated. ...That's what we want this memorial to do. Any veteran that sees it or hears about it, we want to make them feel like they're appreciated for their service."
For many former service members, their service to their country may be the most important thing they've ever done -- and possibly their biggest sacrifice, Harlan said. That's also the case for their families, he said, which is why the park as a whole makes for an important tribute. On the other side of the property, a playground is the next element in the works. Other statues that are currently installed or in progress will recognize the challenges family members of veterans face, further driving that point home.
Another element of memorial that still remains to be installed will be 12 granite slabs that will list the names of veterans from Walker and Linn Townships -- more than 3,000 of them, bringing previously unheralded recognition to smaller communities in the area like Lupus and Jamestown. Similar to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., the names will be inscribed such that visitors can do etchings, the pair said.
Burger was also a proponent of including veterans' name in a future memorial. Staton said the pair knew doing so would mean a lot more work, but discussions with their fellow veterans stressed the importance of recognizing each service member by name. Staton said James Albin and Alan Sparks with the historical society have been a huge help in gathering those names.
"The thing I found out about the names is it gives people ownership," Staton said. "...They feel like it's theirs."
The entry arch reads "Moniteau County Veterans Memorial," but the pair said they wanted to make sure not to take attention away from other existing veterans memorials located elsewhere in Moniteau County, in Tipton and High Point. The two communities are recognized on the arch's side. It's not a competition, Harlan said, and they wanted to make sure that each veteran from across Moniteau County gets their due.
"People might say 'Well, why don't you just use the back and put all (the names from across the county) on there?'" Staton said. "If we did that, we were afraid we would de-value Tipton and High Point's (memorials)."
The support for what they're doing, the pair said, has been immense. It's evidenced by the monetary support, by the work to bring elements of the memorial to life, and even by the veterans walking by the property who stop to chat with Staton and Harlan if they happen to be working on site that day. It means a lot.
"That's all we're shooting for -- getting something that people will enjoy," Harlan said. "We want a home for veterans to come back to."