A unique way to
HONOR VETERANS
Carver County Veterans Memorial and Registry (CCVMR) is nearing
completion
After fi ve years of meticulous preparation, the
Carver County Veterans Memorial and Registry
(CCVMR) is about to become a physical reality.
“We’re defi nitely very excited, because we’re
getting close,” said Mayer resident Stan Heldt,
chair of the CCVMR committee. “We’re hoping
we’re going to get it up this fall yet.”
As of the end of August, the parking lot and
sidewalk had been constructed, cement was being
poured, and landscaping was ready to go in.
“Basically, the groundwork is all done,” Heldt
said.
The lighted memorial will be located just off
Highway 25 and County Road 30. Consisting of six
granite stones, it will be about 40 feet long and 11-
12 feet high. There will also be a panel dedicated to
honor prisoners of war and soldiers who were killed
in action, an American fl ag, and one fl ag for each
branch of the military.
Other planned features include meditation
benches, a glass display case, and 8-by-16-inch
paver stones for individual veterans, featuring their
name, branch of service, and era in which they
served. About 300 pavers have been sold so far.
Veterans don’t need to be from Carver County in
order to be included.
“We have half a dozen from California already,
a couple from Colorado, one from Texas, and
a couple from Illinois,” Heldt said. “The ones
from out of state, in most cases, have some sort of
connection to Carver County.”
The memorial will be fi lled with symbolism,
and each panel will include images of items soldiers
would have used. The images have been approved
by the committee, and are now in the process of
being authenticated. Heldt said they are working
with historical experts in an attempt to catch any
inconsistencies.
Images of soldiers will also be featured. To make
the images unique and authentic, the CCVMR
committee conducted photo shoots with real
soldiers. Out of nearly 1,500 photos taken, the top
six were selected. From there, a graphic designer
touched up the images and got them ready for
display.
The CCVMR has been working with Coldspring,
a natural stone manufacturing facility and bronze
foundry in Cold Spring (near St. Cloud).
The registry
Veterans’ stories are preserved in an online
registry at www.ccvmr.org. Anyone who served in
During the Korean War, Richard Mielke of New Germany
served as a medic specialist E5 in the US Army. He joined
the American Legion Post 601 in New Germany in June
1954. His story, along with many others, is recorded at
www.ccvmr.org.
Veterans dinner Nov. 8
A veterans dinner will take place Thursday,
Nov. 8 at the Mayer Lutheran High School
fi eld house, with all proceeds benefi ting the
Carver County Veterans Memorial and
Registry.
The event will start at 5 p.m. with a social
hour, silent auction, and music by the Six
Outlaws (a Johnny Cash tribute band). A
prime rib/fi sh dinner will be served at 6 p.m.
The keynote speaker will be Ryan Yantis, a
retired lieutenant colonel with the US Army.
Yantis is a survivor of the Sept. 11, 2001
terrorist attack on the Pentagon. Throughout
his career, Yantis served in more than 33
countries in Europe, Asia, and Africa.
Event tickets are $50, and can be purchased
by contacting Stan Heldt at 952-657-2169 or
any CCVMR committee member.
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