Garner Veterans Memorial

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The Garner Veteran’s Committee, Inc. and Town of Garner is proud to sponsor the 2011 Veterans Day Celebration on Friday, November 11, 2011 at 11:00 a.m. at Aversboro Road Baptist Church, 1600 Aversboro Road, Garner, NC 27529.  Join local Veterans of Foreign Wars and American Legion Posts, veterans and their families, civic and community leaders as we honor those who have served, and continue to serve our country in the military at home and abroad.

The speaker for this event is Brigadier General Elizabeth D. Austin, the NC National Guard’s first female General.  Garner Magnet High School Symphonic Band will perform a mini-patriotic concert in honor of all veterans starting @ 10:30 a.m.  Other participants in the event are Garner resident, Dana Stephenson, former Miss North Carolina and First Baptist Church of Garner Men’s Quartet.  Local Scout troops have been invited to participate in the celebration.  Colors will be posted by the 340^th Psychological Operations Company.

This is a free event and everyone, especially veterans and their families, is invited to join in this celebration on Veteran’s Day, November 11, 2011.

The flag currently flying at the site of the Garner Veterans Memorial was donated to the American Legion Riders Unit 232 by MSgt Peggy J. Barnes, USAF(Ret). MSgt Barnes received this flag upon her retirement from the USAF.

Garner Veterans Memorial Launches Corporate Phase; $150,000 Raised

GARNER, NC (May 24, 2011) — On the eve of Memorial Day 2011, the GarnerVeterans Memorial Committee today launched the corporate phase of its fundraising efforts toraise $500,000 to erect a veterans educational memorial at Lake Benson Park with theannouncement that $150,000 of the goal has already been raised and/or committed.

Jay Strickland of WingSwept and executive chairman of the Garner Veterans MemorialCommittee (GVMC) told a gathering of business men and women at a kickoff breakfast that thisphase of the campaign is designed to allow the business community, both large and smallbusinesses, to be a part of building the memorial. He noted that the $150,000 raised to date hasbeen both in direct contributions and challenge grants that are designed to stimulate activity byother businesses.

Harold Annis of ms consultants and Faye Gardner of the Garner Chamber of Commerce,president and vice president respectively of the GVMC, said that during the quiet phase since theidea of a memorial was announced several years ago much work has been done and that theproject is proceeding on a planned schedule.

“Our first commitment was to select a design for the memorial that not only honored ourveterans, but it also provided an educational opportunity for everyone, especially young people,”Annis said. “We were very pleased with the designed presented by Clearscapes Architecture +Art, a Wake County design firm. An interesting point is that the designer who headed the projectfor Clearscapes is a Garner resident.”
Gardner added that later this fall the fundraising efforts will shift to a brick-buyingcampaign that will appeal directly to individuals. At that time the public will be able to purchasea brick used in the construction of the memorial in honor or memory of an individual.

The Garner Veterans Memorial will be located in Lake Benson Park in Garner on landdonated by the Town of Garner. The memorial is a silent tribute to the nation’s militarycampaigns, with various panels denoting the military efforts by decades. On the other side of thebrick courtyard of the memorial are smaller panels listing the names of Garner-area men andwomen who sacrificed their lives in defense of the nation. A place designed for reverent solitudeamong the park’s open meadow, the memorial will serve as an education designation for schoolgroups from nearby Garner schools.
More information on participating with the campaign’s fundraising efforts may beobtained by contacting Gardner @ 919-772-2214 or fgardner002@nc.rr.com

Garner Veterans’ Memorial Committee, Inc. and the Town of Garner, will hold a Memorial Day observance at the future site of the Garner Veterans Memorial at Lake Benson Park.  This observance will take place on Monday, May 30, 2011 at 1:30 pm.   Garner VFW Post #10225 will be in charge of the time of remembrance which will include a reading of the names of fallen Garner soldiers whose names will be on the memorial when it is completed.   “Legion Riders” Post #232 will lay a wreath at the future memorial site in memory and in honor of all those who have lost their lives in service to their country.  Kaitlyn Thompson, Wake Christian Academy student will read her award winning paper entitled “Patriotism Still Matters”.

Join Garner VFW Post #10225, Garner American Legion Post #225, Legion Riders Post #232, veterans, their families, local community leaders and citizens, elected officials to honor all veterans who died in uniform serving their country.

Bring lawn chairs and enjoy this beautiful park and the future memorial site as we take this opportunity to honor and remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice so that we are able to enjoy the beauty and freedom of this great country.

During the Spanish-American War, Private Romulus W. Young   enlisted in Company K, 1^st North Carolina Infantry and sailed on the ‘Roumanian’ on 8 December 1898 for Havana, Cuba.  While en route the Treaty of Paris was signed ending the Spanish-American War where he served as a Waggoner.  Being the first American soldiers to arrive at Havana, they received a welcome by the Cuban people at the sight of their liberators.  He was later discharged on 22 April 1899, but two months late at age 21 he again enlisted in Raleigh on 22 June 1899 as a Private in Company E, 4^th US Infantry.  The United States had just begun the Philippine Insurrection War three weeks earlier on 2 June 1899.  In 1900, Romulus was with the US forces at San Francisco de Malabon in the Philippine Islands.  His Regiment saw action throughout southern Luzon.   He left the Philippines but en route home was in the Presidio Army Hospital in San Francisco, California with chronic amoebic dysentery.  He died in the hospital on 8 November 1900.  He was hoping to get home to “Aunt Sook’s good fried chicken and good biscuits and butter … also his father would put off killing hogs this year until he could get home to help.”  (Source: Wake, Capital County of North Carolina, Vol. II, by Todd Johnson and Elizabeth Reid Murray, page 395).

Romulus was born in October 1878 to Ezekiel and Charity Young of Gulley’s Mill in the Panther Branch community of Wake County.  A farmer he had brown eyes, brown hair, dark complexion and was 5’8” tall.   Romulus W. Young was buried in the family cemetery off Windrow Lane in Keeneland Trails Housing Development on Sauls Rd. in Panther Branch Township.

Service - US Army - Company E, 4th US Infantry Rank - Private Born - October 1878 Died - 8 November 1900 Buried - In the family cemetery off Windrow Road in Keeneland Trails Housing Development Township - Panther Branch

This years Veterans Day Celebration will be held on November 11, 2010 at 11:00 a.m. at Aversboro Road Baptist Church, 1600 Aversboro Road, Garner, NC.  The Keynote speaker will be Grier Martin, NC House of Representatives, District 34.

See the complete program
Veterans_Day_Program_2010 (.pdf)

The Town of Garner, Garner Veterans’ Memorial Committee and American Legion Post #232 held a Memorial Day observance and wreath laying at Lake Benson Park on Monday, May 31, 2010 at 1:30 p.m. The ceremony was held at the site of the future Veteran’s Memorial in the park. Veterans and local community leaders joined together to honor those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our country.