Remaining members of Veterans Council hold their final meeting
Posted on Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Like all military men, they persevered.
Their accomplishment - the Veterans Wall of Honor at Lake Bella Vista.
The last official meeting of the founding members of the Veterans Council of Northwest Arkansas was held on Nov. 12.
Four of the original seven still reside in Bella Vista: Leonard Eisert, Bob Johnson, Dick LaBrie, and Art Leu.
Les Glader lives in a care facility in Wheatridge, Colo., and two passed away this year: Burt Schindler and Vern Watten.
The seven men began in 2001 with an idea - create a memorial to war veterans in Bella Vista with a historical timeline.
The American Legion Post 341 and the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 9063 embraced the idea and the seven created the Veterans Council, wrote the by-laws, and discussed how to proceed.
After studying various sites, the area next to the VFW Post 9063 was chosen, and the post donated the property.
Watten, an architect, designed the memorial and made two models; one of them continues to be displayed at the Bella Vista Historical Museum.
Approximately one-half of the $ 600, 000 cost came from selling granite name bricks, the balance came from donations and fund raising.
Leu designed the brochures that were used to help raise funds for the project.
The Veterans Wall of Honor was completed in 2004 with 4, 200 bricks representing 23 states with veterans from 1776 to the present. A historical time line explains each of the conflicts and wars American soldiers have participated in, and a review of military symbols. A bubbling fountain at the center of the gathering area suggests a constant vigil preserving and protecting the process and spirit of our free society, from Wattens architect statement. Eighteen historical and commemorative flags ring the walls. Even though the council purchases the highest quality flags available, they must be replaced twice a year at a cost of $ 1, 000 each time. Today the monument is in a maintenance mode, according to Johnson. Our avocation became a vocation, said LaBrie. We probably put in as many volunteer hours as the rest of Village combined, joked Eisert. Eisert presented his four co-founders with mugs that listed the seven founders names and a photo of their accomplishment. He also mailed a mug to Glader in Colo. The coffee mugs are available from the Veterans Council. They can be personalized for the recipient. Memory ornaments are sold during the holiday season, and tax deductible donations are accepted year round. Contact Eisert at 855-4421, or visit the Web site: vetera n s m o n u m e n t b e l l a v i s - taar. com.
Eisert is the only founding member still serving on the council, which has expanded to 10 members.
The generosity of businesses, churches and individuals has been phenomenal, said LaBrie.
I never believed it would be this beautiful, said Eisert, as the wind snapped the flag above his head.
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