PHOTO: A new Veterans Memorial was dedicated in Stevens Point on Monday.
The Guns N’ Hoses of Portage County helped commission the $90,000 stone memorial which features logos of five of the six branches of the armed forces. The center stone is flanked by two smaller stones that feature a kneeling firefighter and police officer, which organizer Traci Tauferner says is designed to extend the Guns N’ Hoses message of first responders supporting Vets beyond their annual September softball game. “We realized there were no memorials inclusive of all Veterans,” said Tauferner. “So we set out a mission to create a monument that [was] inclusive of all branches from all eras.”
That means the memorial is for anyone who has signed up to serve in the armed forces, whether they have seen action in combat or served in a homeland security role.