Organizers make one last push for sponsors for the Veterans' Memorial

HARTINGTON — There is still time to sponsor a loved one, a relative or a friend who is a military veteran so that their name can be included on one of the veteran memorial stones planned for the new Hartington Area Veterans Memorial.

The memorial is being constructed in downtown Hartington and scheduled to be completed by late summer 2022.

Currently, there are 948 veterans that have either been sponsored or adopted and whose name will appear on the memorial monuments listing their full name and branch of service in alphabetical order.

A tax-deductible donation of $150 per veteran is being requested to help with the cost of the memorial. The goal is to achieve 1,200 veterans to either be sponsored or adopted.

There are many veterans who do not have anyone to sponsor them so anyone can help sponsor one or more of these veterans as part of the “Adopt A Veteran” campaign.

A wide net was cast to try and locate as many of the military service members and family of veterans.

A veteran would include any man or women who served on active duty in any of the five branches of the military including National Guard and Reserve veterans, and those who are currently on military active duty.

The list of veterans would include anyone living or deceased who served and has any affiliation at all with the Hartington area and Cedar County. This would include those who stayed in the area after serving, those that moved away or maybe the veteran has never lived in the Hartington area but simply has connection through marriage, family or a close friendship.

The period covered would be anyone who served in the military as far back as the Civil War up till today.

Every family that originated in the Hartington area over the past many years and generations should have someone or a number of family members, relatives or a good friend that has served in the military. They could be a dad, mother, grandparent, great grandparent, brother or sister, uncle or aunt a cousin or simply a good friend that served during war time or peace time. What better way to honor them than having their name included in the memorial so that they are forever remembered and never forgotten. If their name is already included on another veteran memorial, they are welcome to be included with the Hartington Veterans Memorial as well.

The cut-off date for veteran sponsorships to be received is Oct. 1, 2021, according to Dan Kathol, Chairman of the project. “We will need a couple of months to proof the list of names and branch of service served to be sure everything is correct before the list is sent off for engraving on one of the stones devoted to veteran names,” said Kathol.

Veteran sponsorship forms can be found on the web-site at www. hartingtonveterans.com or at the Hartington Post Office and City Hall, Burnell’s Foodtown, County Treasurer, Steffen Drug, Casey’s, Cedar County News and the Hartington banks.

The Cedar County News will also feature forms in upcoming issues. The forms can be cut and filled out and mailed in with a check.

A form can also be received especially for out-of-town individuals by contacting Dan Kathol at (402) 640-3334 or emailing kathold@hartel.net and one can be mailed or emailed out to you.

Up to three veterans can be listed on the form which asks for the full name, middle initial and branch of service.

If one chooses to adopt a veteran, they can simply write Adopt on the form and include the $150 for each veteran adopted.

“We have had a number of people who have adopted multiple veterans with several families each adopting 10 veterans, which is tremendous,” Kathol said. “We are hoping for a good response in this final effort to get as many veterans sponsored and to reach or exceed our goal of 1,200 names. The whole purpose of the veteran’s memorial is to honor and remember those men and women who sacrificed so much for the liberty and freedom we enjoy in our country.”

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