OFM In the News

Memorials to soldiers who died in battle can take decades to rise in their solemn stony splendor. To make sure it doesn't take that long, two efforts are under way to preserve the memory of Kansas soldiers who have died so far in Iraq and Afghanistan.

One memorial would be in Wichita, the other in the northeast part of the state, perhaps Leavenworth, Topeka or Junction City.

Both efforts are just under way. Organizers are recruiting boards of directors, securing nonprofit status, finalizing designs, and creating websites.

In Wichita, Anita Dixon, whose son, Sgt. Evan Parker died in Iraq in 2005, is planning the "Operation Freedom Memorial" honoring those who served in Desert Storm, Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. The design would feature silhouettes representing each Kansas soldier killed.

Dixon said she got the idea when she went to the John S. Stevens Veterans Memorial Park at Second and Greenway about a year after her son died as part of a Gold Star Mothers convention. Gold Star Mothers, founded in 1918, is an organization for women who have lost children in wars.

"I just thought the park was beautiful," she said. "I was looking at all the other memorials down there and my question was, when do we start putting one together for Operation Iraq and Operation Enduring Freedom?"

Dixon is two or three months into the project and has received indications from city leaders she could get 1,000 square feet of space at the park, west of the Vietnam Memorial, for the memorial.

She was not thinking only of her son when she decided to build a memorial.

"I'm doing this for everybody in the state, for every single soldier that was lost, for every soldier that served," Dixon said.

Harvey Nicholson, a Vietnam-era soldier who lives in Topeka, said he felt compelled to act while attending the funeral of Sgt. Jacob Butler of Wellsville, who was killed in Iraq in 2003.

"I didn't want to wait 25 years like we did after the Vietnam War," Nicholson said. "As I sat there and saw Jake's funeral, I said 'why can't we do it now while they're still fresh in our hearts?' "

Nicholson led a drive for a memorial that opened in Ottawa in 1999 honoring Franklin County veterans from all wars. His concept for the new one includes using ceramic photographs of the Kansas soldiers who have fallen in Iraq and Afghanistan, he said.

"They're more than just names on a wall," Nicholson said. "They're young men, and sometimes you forget what they look like."

Dixon said she doesn't favor that idea because photos can be defaced.

"It would kill me if my son's face were marked out or scratched out," she said.

Nicholson said ceramic photos won't be defaced, but he would honor the wishes of any family that doesn't want a photo of their soldier included in his monument.

"If she does not want it, and anybody else doesn't want it, then I would not put it on the wall," he said.

Dixon's design would include silhouettes of soldiers etched into an octagonal pillar topped by a battlefield cross, consisting of boots, bayonet, helmet, rifle and dog tags.

Neither one has started major fundraising campaigns. They need to get their designs finalized and websites up and running. Nicholson has a Facebook page about his project, www.facebook.com/kiamemorial.

The location of Nicholson's memorial, as well as any final decisions about its design, will be up to his board of directors, he said.

Dixon said she doesn't know how much money her effort will need. She hopes to get design blueprints and costs estimated in June. She would like to get the memorial accomplished in a year or two, she said.

Nicholson, whose Franklin County memorial cost $128,000, expects it will be three to four years before his new memorial is built.

Neither memorial effort should have trouble raising funds once their concepts are finalized and websites established, he said.

The state has plenty of room for two memorials to the Iraq and Afghanistan soldiers, Nicholson said. Their websites could raise support for both, he said.

The memorials will draw donations and visits from veterans around the country who served with the Kansas soldiers, Nicholson said.

He learned after the one in Franklin County opened that memorials are for the living soldiers as well as the dead.

"It helps veterans take care of their own war, their own grieving," he said.

Reach Fred Mann at 316-268-6310 or fmann@wichitaeagle.com.

© 2010 Wichita Eagle and wire service sources. All Rights Reserved. http://www.kansas.com

Plans to build a Wichita memorial to honor Kansas soldiers who have died in Iraq and Afghanistan are moving forward. The board overseeing the project has settled on a final design. In coming weeks, the group will turn its attention to raising at least $200,000 — the minimum amount needed to build the memorial in Veterans Memorial Park in downtown Wichita.

Anita Dixon, who came up with the concept of the "Operation Freedom Memorial," said she hopes those who see the design will be moved to contribute to the project.

"I would really like to not get to the point where we have to have bake sales or garage sales," she said. "I would like it to be donations from people who want to see this happen and honor these young boys. That's my hope, my goal and my dream."

Dixon, whose son Sgt. Evan Parker died in Iraq in 2005, said the memorial would honor Kansans who served in Desert Storm, Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom.

The design calls for the memorial to be built on a concrete circle with 8-foot black granite walls. The names of more than 60 Kansans who have died in Iraq and Afghanistan will be etched into the monument.

The group has posted the design on its website, www.ofm-ks.com

Dixon said the group has received permission to build the memorial in Veterans Memorial Park, 339 N. Greenway. It will be placed between the Vietnam War Memorial and the USS Wichita Memorial.

Dixon said the board of directors overseeing the project will meet next week to discuss plans for moving forward with the project.

"I would like to say that within a two-year time span it would be totally complete," she said.

Anyone who wants to contribute can send donations to:

• Operation Freedom Memorial Foundation Inc.
• P.O. Box 782414
• Wichita, KS 67278

Reach Hurst Laviana at 316-268-6499 or hlaviana@wichitaeagle.com.

© 2010 Wichita Eagle and wire service sources. All Rights Reserved. http://www.kansas.com

South-central Kansans and all Americans have the luxury of living without fear, safe in the knowledge that brave, skilled men and women are dedicated to our protection. Because they are vigilant around the world, we are not only free but also carefree.

Recent days have brought reminders of the risks that these guardians face daily, and our responsibility to pay somber tribute to their service and — too often — their ultimate sacrifice.

The community learned that 26-year-old Army Sgt. Justin A. Officer died Sept. 29 of injuries suffered in Afghanistan when insurgents attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device. He had lived in Wichita with his family from 1999 to 2003 and later moved back before enlisting in March 2004. He deployed to Afghanistan by choice after two tours in Iraq, telling his father he believed he could help the new members of his unit and perhaps save their lives.

Last month brought news that 35-year-old Army Capt. Jason T. McMahon of Mulvane, who led a unit that disabled explosive devices in Iraq and Afghanistan, died Sept. 5 after being shot by insurgents in Jalahabad. “Not a lot of people get to do in life what they’re passionate about. And he was doing exactly what he wanted to do,” family friend Brad Malm told the Salina Journal about McMahon, a 14-year military veteran who had attended schools in Lindsborg, Phillipsburg and Brewster growing up.

Early in September, the Army announced that Staff Sgt. Vinson “Trinity” B. Adkinson III, 26, a graduate of Chaparral High School in Harper County, died Aug. 31 when an improvised explosive device blew up near his vehicle in Logar province. He had served three tours in Iraq and was on his second in Afghanistan, having told his grandmother that he needed to go back so that Afghans could have peace in their lives.

Though it hardly tempers the tragedy of these losses, it was good to learn that the community may soon give such fallen warriors their due. A project to build an Operation Freedom Memorial in John S. Stevens Veterans Memorial Park at Second and Greenway is well under way, with a final design and a fundraising goal of at least $200,000. The memorial will honor Kansans who served in Desert Storm, Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom, helping ensure that future generations will know about the local toll of these defining conflicts. To learn more, go to the website www.ofm-ks.com. To help, mail contributions to Operation Freedom Memorial Foundation Inc., P.O. Box 782414, Wichita, KS 67278.

Earlier this year, Anita Dixon told The Eagle that she got the idea for the Wichita memorial when she visited the park about a year after her son, Sgt. Evan Parker of South Haven, died in the Iraq war in 2005. “I’m doing this for everybody in the state, for every single soldier that was lost, for every soldier that served,” she said.

Everybody in the region should help her effort, so all of those lost in these conflicts can be honored with a fitting memorial.

© 2010 Wichita Eagle and wire service sources. All Rights Reserved. http://www.kansas.com

It would be the first of its kind in Kansas -- and it comes from a mother's love for her son.

Five years ago this month, Sgt. Evan Parker died from the wounds he received in Iraq. He is one of 64 Kansans who have died in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

And now, there's a movement to build a memorial to all of them in the heart of Wichita's Veterans Memorial Park.

This patch of land sits quietly. The grass is touched by sun and shadows, the Arkansas River shimmers just over a hill.

"I think he would like this spot," said Anita Dixon. To her, this is the perfect spot for her son, Sgt. Evan Parker -- and 67 other troops -- to be remembered.

"My son was killed in Iraq," Dixon explained. "It's important that I honor and keep all of the Kansas soldiers remembered. That is my hope and my dream."

That dream, the Operation Freedom Memorial, would sit in the Wichita Veterans Memorial park. "I think he would hold it in high honor that he was here with these military brothers and sisters for many, many years," said Dixon proudly.

The memorial would have a troop kneeling in front of the battle cross, and beyond that, a wall with the names of Kansans who died serving in Desert Storm and the current conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. A 25-foot circle would sit underneath, allowing people to engrave pavers with their names and service dates.

"I think it's a privilege to be a part of it," said John Wilson. He is a Wichita man, and a Vietnam Veteran. "Soldiers would get spit on," he remembered. "You know, they would do what the country told them to do, whether they wanted to be there or not. And it took them 30 years to get any respect. We don't want that to happen to the people that's serving now."

So Dixon has made the memorial her mission. "Because my hope and my dream was for everybody to come down here and to see this -- and just --- to be blown away. To feel the very presence of every single one of those soldiers who gave their lives for our country."

The group hopes to build the memorial in two years. It needs $200,000; it currently has $6,000. "I don't want to get to the point where I have to have bake sales and garage sales and sell Tshirts," said Dixon. "I just want this to be by donation, if at all possible."

Donate Online:
http://www.ofm-ks.com

Send Check or Money Order to:
Operation Freedom Memorial Foundation, Inc.
P.O. Box 782414
Wichita, KS 67278

Copyright © 2010, KWCH-TV

A group plans to place the Operation Freedom Memorial at Veterans Memorial Park in honor of Kansas soldiers killed while serving in Iraq or Afghanistan.

Three walls would list the names of those killed in action during Operation Desert Storm, Operation Iraqi Freedom, and Operation Enduring Freedom.

"For other people like myself, I haven't lost anybody over there but it's just to show support for the United States soldiers, military that's over there fighting for us," said John Wilson, Vietnam era veteran.

The plans continue with an additional opportunity to purchase memorial paving stones to honor family or friends who have served or are serving in the military.

"My son's daughter can go somewhere and it doesn't have to be a cemetery. It can be a place of joyful remembrance," said Denise Lange, who lost her son in 2009 when he was involved in a head-on collision while he was on-duty in Texas.

You can learn more about Operation Freedom Memorial or the memorial paving stones by clicking here.

Forty-three years-ago this week, a Wichita man was killed in Vietnam. He was listed as Missing In Action for years. Since then, his remains have been found, and buried at Arlington.

But there was one last thing to do in Wichita. It was a moment that lasted just seconds. But for Billy McGonigle's family, this moment was decades in the making.

"He was a very good boy," remembered his mother, Grace McGonigle. "He went to high school, and graduated from South High. He would do anything for anybody."

Billy McGonigle enlisted in the Marines before he graduated high school. Almost a year later, May 10, 1968, a knock on the door.

"I was fixing supper," said Grace recently, "and my daughter Virginia went to the door, to see who was there. And she yelled 'Mama, come here'."

On Thursday, Billy's younger sister Virigina recalled that moment. "I was the one who answered the door and saw the priest and the Marine standing behind him. And we knew right then - without a word being spoken."

But for years, the government listed the South High grad as Missing In Action. That is, until 1999. "I'm glad they did what they needed to do to find the remains," said Virginia. "There were 11 others with him."

With the help of fellow Marines and their memories, the remains of McGonigle and others were found. "They got 17 teeth," explained Harry McGonigle, who adopted Billy at age 4, "and identified 5 of the boys. All but one were buried in the community casket."

The McGonigle family attended the Arlington Service in 2005. But there was still something in Wichita to do.

"On the Vietnam Wall," explained Anita Dixon of the Gold Star Mothers Organization, "Billy's name has always had a cross beside it. Which means his remains were never recovered -- he was MIA." On Thursday, May 12 -- 43 years and two days after he was killed, he was remembered with the date his remains were recovered.

"I want today to be a day of honor and remembrance for Billy," said Dixon. "I want peace for Harry and Grace."

"It makes me really glad that this is happening for my folks," explained Virginia, Billy's sister. "You know, I've always at ease with the fact that he was killed, and that his remains were brought home. Hopefully this will close it for them."

It may be just one name, on one stone, in one city. But for one family, it is one life remembered, given for one nation.

WICHITA — A benefit auction and dinner will be held Sunday at American Legion Post 256, 4301 W. Pawnee, to help build a Wichita memorial honoring Kansans who have died in Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

The auction is from 2 to 4 p.m. Items may be viewed starting at 1 p.m. The dinner is at 6:30 p.m.

The event is to help Operation Freedom Memorial Foundation raise $300,000 for the memorial to be built at Veterans Memorial Park in downtown Wichita. It will honor Kansans who have died while serving in Desert Storm, Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom.

More than 80 Kansans have been killed in those wars. Their names will be etched on three, 8-foot black granite walls.

"This is for the respect due the soldiers and their families so they're not put on the backburner and forgotten," said Ron Purdie, a member of Post 256, which is hosting the event.

Auction items include oil changes donated by area car dealerships, battlefield cross pendants and a line of wearing apparel from Steve McQueen's movie, "Bullitt."

Through Friday, tickets for the dinner are $15 for one person and $25 for a couple. The price increases $5 at the door. To purchase tickets, call Purdie at 316-648-0076 or call Post 256 at 316-943-1309. For more information go to www.lakodainspirations.com.

WHEREAS; on September 11, 2001, the United States of America was subjected to terrorist acts of war; and

WHEREAS; The United States Armed Forces was mobilized by the President in response to the global war on terror; and

WHEREAS; these brave men and women of the United States Armed Forces were and continued to be called to duty with the mission to defend our Country and restore peace; and

WHEREAS; many of these United States service members, 75 from Kansas, have made the ultimate sacrifice in the name of Liberty, Justice and Freedom for All; and

WHEREAS; Operation Freedom Memorial Foundation, Inc. is dedicated to promoting awareness of these fallen Kansas Patriots by preserving their historical footprints and legacies of duty, honor and country; and

WHEREAS; the mission is to recognize the importance of honoring and remembering the Kansas men and women of the United States Armed Forces who sacrificed their lives in the terrorist attack on the Pentagon September 11, 2001 and during Operations Desert Storm, Iraqi Freedom, Enduring Freedom, New Dawn, and throughout the war on terrorism.

WHEREAS; the vision is to promote education to persons of all ages through historical preservation of our fallen Kansas patriots, further raising awareness and dedicating a memorial in their honor; and

WHEREAS; the goal is to provide a moment of reflection in honor and remembrance of our Kansas hometown heroes who ultimately sacrificed all; and

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that Dave Unruh, Chairman of the Board of Sedgwick County Commissioners, does hereby proclaim the week of August 15, 2011 through August 21, 2011 as ‘Honor & Remember Kansas Fallen Patriots Week’

We runners run for a plethora of reasons. For health, stress relief, for competition, and often times, simply because we can. Among the many great reasons to run is running in honor of those who cannot. There are many fantastic organizations that dedicate the sport solely to those who can not lace up their shoes. I have the honor of running side by side with one who’s got more than the finish line in his sights.

Nick Williams is surprising. He’s an Air Force pilot, a phenomenal runner, a dancer, and a talented chef. It’s hard to learn these things about him because he’s such a kind and caring individual, an excellent friend, and devoted son- qualities that are the loudest parts of his personality. I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know Nick as we’ve trained on the streets of Wichita, Kansas together. In a short time, I’ve made more than a great running buddy. I’ve made a life-long friend.

Nick and I even ran the 2011 Boston Marathon side-by-side. We laughed, pushed, and fought our way to the famous finish line on Boylston Street together. We’re like “war buddies” now. We’ve been to “hell and back” together, the hell we call the marathon.

However, Nick knows much more about the perils of real war than I could ever dream of. He’s an active duty pilot in the Air Force. Our training has been paused multiple times in our short friendship when he’s been deployed. It’s hard explaining to my son why our buddy Nick is off in the desert being the “flying gas station,” but it’s over joyous to tell him “Nick’s coming home this week!” I know that not all military friends and family get to deliver such news. The fact that our soldiers fall is heartbreaking. This is why Nick runs.

Currently Nick is fundraising for the Operation Freedom Memorial in Wichita through his training efforts. The memorial is planned as a tribute to honor the fallen soldiers of Operation Desert Storm, Iraqi Freedom, and Enduring Freedom. Nick has been accepting donations in the form of pledges per mile he runs each month leading up to the January 14, 2012 Rock ‘n’ Roll Arizona Marathon. He’s also been accepting flat donations as well. So far he’s raised nearly $3,500 and hopes to reach the $5,000 mark before he toes the line in Phoenix next month.

In return to his donors, Nick has let them all in in on the everyday ups and downs of marathon training. “By reading my posts, you will observe days when running feels great and days when running feels difficult,” Nick told me. “You’ll observe runs on insufficient sleep and runs where everything inside me clicks and I feel on top of the world.”

The memorial has not begun construction as of yet due to funding. He explains “By most estimates, the construction of our memorial will cost around $300,000, so this campaign is just one step in our process towards creating a lasting impression of our gratitude to the fallen soldiers of Operation Desert Storm, Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom.”

Nick has just a few weeks left before he begins his taper and begins conserving energy for the battle he’ll face on the streets of Phoenix. If you’d like to follow his journey and donate to the worthy cause, you can visit his page at the Operation Freedom Memorial website.

“If you decide to donate and join my team, it’s my prayer that the entire effort involved with being a distance runner becomes evident while our team supports the memory of those who don’t have the opportunity to run free anymore.”