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An M4A6 Sherman tank was donated by the US Army
for a memorial and placed Soden’s Grove Park April 10, 1958. When
the Zoo expanded in 1983, the tank was moved to its present location on
the west side of Commercial Street, in the center of the memorial area.
For many years the tank initially remained operational, and children played
in the turret. It is now welded shut. The present memorial was built
over nine months by Kiwanis labor under the direction of Emporia veteran
Kenneth Bradstreet. Mr. Bradstreet had visited the memorial and was
dismayed by its neglect. Scott Grimmett Masonry built the stonework
at the memorial.
The memorial as it is now was dedicated on May 26, 1991. US Senator
Bob Dole and US Representative Dick Nichols spoke at the dedication to a
crowd of 4,000 people. Local Reserve units, and Medal of Honor winners
Roger HC Donlon and Charles C. Hagmeister, of Lawrence, also participated
in the dedication.
The flagpole stands circling the tank are marked Civil War, Spanish-American
War, World War I, World War II, Korea, and Vietnam. Behind the Vietnam
pole is a seventh, marked Persian Gulf War. The spotlight in front
of the All Veterans Memorial Sign is marked, “In honor of those who have
served in the armed forces of the United States of America.” Thirty-nine
plaques commemorating Emporia individuals, units, and organizations flank
a short path from the parking area to the first flagpole. Some were
placed after the dedication. A State memorial of the Military Order
of the Purple Heart is to be placed on this site in the summer of 2003.
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