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Veteran’s Memorial Plaza Dedication Set for May 25th
By
Michael A. Piekarz, Staff Writer
& Stephen Baetge, Editor
Veterans, their families and those who want to remember will have a place
of tranquility, reflection and repose when the Veteran’s Memorial Plaza
is dedicated on Thursday, May 25, 2006.
The plaza is located at the entrance to the Sacramento Veterans Affairs Medical
Center in Sacramento, and the idea was first conceived in July, 2001 with a final
cost of over $400,000 to completion.
According to Joe Fraccola, member of the Veteran’s Memorial Plaza Board
of Directors, “We (board of directors) contributed over $100,000 by selling
bricks, plaques and donations, and the other $300,000 came from several groups.”
“Project manager Carl Otto, President of John F. Otto, Inc. provided the
materials and labor in unison with sub-contractors while working in partnership
with architect Andy McPherson of Nacht & Lewis Architects, Inc.,” said
Fraccola.
“We could never have completed this project without Carl Otto, Andy McPherson
and a bunch of other great guys,” he said.
The 6,200 square foot plaza will be centered around a 15-foot bronze statue of
a medic returning home, a daughter perched on his shoulder waving an American
flag.
The representation of the Veteran’s Memorial Project theme, “coming
home,” will be flanked by the American flag, the POW/MIA flag, the California
flag, VA flags and historic banners representing each of the six branches of
the United States military.
The plaza includes cantilevered walls with engraved plaques recognizing those
whose contributions financed the construction of the memorial. A walkway consisting
of 1734 bricks inscribed with the names of donors, veterans, families and active
duty personnel rounds out the plaza.
The ceremony includes a scheduled flyover by a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress, a
Consolidated B-24 Liberator and a North American B-25 Mitchell, WW2 era bombers
from the group Wings of Freedom.
“On any given windy day at the Veterans Memorial Plaza, you will be able
to look up, see, and hear the flags flapping in the wind,” says Fraccola.
“The sound of the flags is like the sound of applause, for the men and
women who have served our country.”
The ceremony is scheduled to start at 3:00 p.m. on Thursday, May 25th, with the
flyover scheduled for 3:30 p.m. (Spectrum staff will be present for the ceremony,
and pictures will be available then.)
For further information, please visit the Veteran’s Memorial Plaza Project
website at www.veteransmemorialplaza.org or contact Joseph Fraccola by telephoning
(916) 638-8720 or by emailing J.Fraccola@comcast.net.
This page and its contents ©2006
Metropolitan News Company, Inc.
