A monument known as the “Memorial for the Fallen” will be unveiled at about 10 a.m. May 30 in Licking and dedicated to members of the U.S. Armed Forces, as well as law enforcement officers and firefighters from the area who died in the line of duty.
Dedication will begin with the color guard from Fort Leonard Wood posting the colors of the joint services of the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force and Coast Guard, followed by a presentation of the colors of the Missouri State Highway Patrol and the City of Licking. Presentations will conclude with the raising of the American flag above the memorial and playing of the Star Spangled Banner.
The keynote speaker at the ceremony will be Army Col. Brian R. Bisacre, a career military police officer and currently an assistant commandant of the Army Military Police School at Fort Leonard Wood. At the conclusion, the names of the fallen will be read aloud and a wreath will be placed at the monument, followed by a 21-gun salute and taps. As bagpipers perform the song “Amazing Grace,” the service will end with a release of red, white and blue balloons, each representing one of the fallen.
Area veterans, citizens, businesses, interested parties and members of Licking Downtown Inc. (a not-for-profit group created a decade ago to find new ways to benefit their community), contributed to helping the memorial become reality. A 5,185 square foot plot for the project was donated by the Landmark Bank of Licking east of its location on Highway 32, and the memorial itself will measure 30-feet by 30-feet.
The project organizer was Wayne Hackman and the primary contractor was Jimmy Swindell, of Swindell Construction. Other firms who had a hand in project include Wolford Monument Co., Willey Fence and Matthew Moloney of T.O.T.S. Landscaping.
“We’re continually looking for ways to help, enhance and support our respective hometowns, and this community-driven expression of respect and honor for our fallen heroes was a momentous undertaking,” said Curt Hugenot, president of the Landmark Bank of Licking. “It was a privilege to be part of it, and I share a feeling of pride with both my neighbors and fellow banking colleagues, locally and company-wide.”
Construction began last summer and is expected to be finished on Memorial Day (May 25). The focal point of the monument is a granite podium with a bronze plaque displaying a 43-word message from the people of Licking, indicating why they are honoring and remembering the men and women from their area.
On each side of the podium, visitors will find three separate 2X3-foot monuments mounted on pedestals exhibiting the seals of all U.S. military branches and local law enforcement, and the names of each of the fallen. Behind these structures, the American flag and Missouri state flag will fly, along with a banner representing U.S. prisoners of war.
The monument will feature benches, wrought-iron fencing, walkways and distinctive landscaping.
“This memorial began as a vision,” said Ellen Reynolds, curator and historian with the Texas County Museum of Art and History. “We designed our memorial to match that vision.”
The public is invited to attend the memorial’s dedication ceremony.