Crowds of people waited for their turn to walk through the newly-constructed Winsted Veterans Memorial during its dedication ceremony
Sept. 15.
Photos by Mark Mitten
Winsted
A dedication ceremony Sept. 15 for the new Winsted
Veterans Memorial drew a large crowd of attendees. The
memorial is located in Hainlin Park in Winsted, and was
designed by local resident Mitchell Littfin.
Visitors enter the memorial by following a paved walkway
that leads to a circular flag court with five flag poles, and
five bronze statues, representing the five branches of the
United States military.
T he path p roceeds beneath f ive l a rg e wooden
archways. The top beams are inscribed with the words:
duty, honor, country, valor, and courage.
The pathway ends in a second circular cour t, the
Pentagon Court, ringed by five large pillars with more than
400 plaques containing veterans’ names.
The words “never forget” are inscribed on a wood beam
overhead.
“Stainless steel throughout, strong Alaskan yellow cedar
timber beams, and beautiful white powder coated [flag]
poles incorporated the major industries at the heart of our
community’s economic success,” Tony Kielkucki, ceremony
master of ceremonies at the dedication, explained.
Kielkucki descr ibed the histor y of the memor ial’s
construction, beginning with its initial conceptualization
in 2016, and acknowledged many Winsted residents who
were involved in its creation. He called it a stunning and
unique memorial that embodied remembrance, sacrifice,
and service.
Kielkucki described the memorial’s features, including
Several patriotic flags were raised during the dedication ceremony
of the Winsted Veterans Memorial Sept. 15.
five large pillars containing 421 plaques, which are
inscribed with the names of veterans, and were purchased