Community shines bright with B-47 Veterans Memorial dedication

To the editor:

Pride reigns strong in our community once again. This was evident when the B-47 Veterans Memorial was dedicated on June 27, along with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the crash site on June 28.

Family members of the deceased airmen, invited dignitaries, veterans and community members chose to take part in this grassroots, all-volunteer endeavor, which is now a state official tourist veterans attraction, as well as a Wisconsin Veterans Administration official designated Veterans Memorial. All of this was coordinated by Curt Myers, a local trail guide, and Doug O’Callaghan, of the NCO Club of Tomahawk and Rhinelander.

Members of the B-47 Crash Site Preservation Committee started planning this memorial when upon taking an ATV ride off Trail 13C by Island Lake, they came upon the area of the second plane crash. From there, a plan was formulated, phone calls were made, letter writing was done, businesses were visited and the plan was put into action.

The B-47 Veterans Memorial is truly a reverent site. This is a place where anyone can go to pay their respects, not only to the lost servicemen that this memorial is dedicated to, but to all of those who have given of service in the defense of our country. Families of the downed servicemen now have a place to go to honor their ultimate sacrifice and were given closure to a painful, yet proud, chapter in their history.

To be able to see all of our area veterans come together to honor their fallen comrades was truly an emotional experience for all involved. Pride was displayed by these men and women, many of them having worked in the search and recovery aspect of the plane crashes. These Iron County veterans know what honor is; they wore it well during this entire B-47 dedication weekend.

Pride — our community displays this in so many ways and this is just another example of area folks giving of themselves for the greater good. Thank you to each and everyone who was involved in this memorial. A special thank you to the B-47 Crash Site Preservation Committee for spearheading this project from start to finish. The B-47 Veterans Memorial is one Iron County’s greatest accomplishments. Let’s continue to show our pride.

Dorrene O’Donnell

Executive Director

Hurley Area Chamber of Commerce