About the Project
The Memorial was completed in August of 2011, with
the dedication
ceremony on September 10, 2011. More than 1,000 people came to the
dedication ceremony. A special thanks to the members of the Tomah
Veterans Memorial Campaign Committee and the Tomah community for helping
to make sure this dream became a reality.
The Memorial was the idea
of several area veterans who noted that Tomah does not have a veterans
memorial, even though several surrounding communities do.
With a strong military heritage in the area, the logical choice
was to pursue the construction of a local memorial.
A group of core veterans formed a key steering committee and the
Tomah Area Veterans Memorial Campaign was publicly announced.
In June 2008, the Campaign
announced a design contest with a few specific requirements:
The design must incorporate the area’s natural surroundings; it
must be an accurate symbolic representation of Tomah’s veterans; any
trees that will be removed must be replaced 2 for 1 in the design; and
all designs must incorporate the sale of memorial bricks.
After several months, a design and site were chosen for the
future memorial.
The purpose of the Memorial
is to pay tribute to all Tomah area veterans who have served our great
country, with some paying the ultimate sacrifice.
A special memorial stone will specifically list those who have
been killed in action.
The tentative site for the Tomah
Area Veterans Memorial is located in
Current Tomah Area Veterans Memorial
Artist's rendering of the future memorial site by Cyndy Hall