Veterans Day was originally established as “Armistice Day” — with Armistice coming from a Latin word loosely meaning putting down arms — back in 1919, a year after the end of World War I. With Veterans Day coming up on Nov. 11, this seems like a good time for a “tour” of the Veterans Memorials around Green County.
We begin at Veterans Memorial Park in downtown Brodhead. There’s a statue in the park which was “erected to honor the defenders of the union” from 1861 to 1865, which is the time of the Civil War. Among those credited for placing the statue is W.W. Patton, not to be confused with General George S. Patton. Reverend William Weston Patton was an anti-slavery advocate. At the time of the statue’s dedication in 1914, he worked as editor of a religious magazine in Chicago. Benches crafted by Fritz Wenger of Production Grinding and Machining have been added near the statue, with each recognizing a different branch of the military. Brodhead residents and visitors enjoy this park as the setting for the summer Twilight in the Park Concert series.
In Albany, veterans are remembered on the grounds of the McDermott-Steindorf Post 144 American Legion — near the banks of the Sugar River and just upstream from the downtown dam. Bricks have been placed to memorialize local sons and daughters who served, with the oldest being Ben Whitcomb from 1776 to 1781 during the Revolutionary War. There’s a big group under the heading for the Vietnam War with surnames common to the Albany area: Blumer, Mauerman, Runaas and Ringhand. The Legion invites everyone to join them for a breakfast buffet on the third Sunday of every month.
The Brooklyn Area Veterans Memorial is located adjacent to the Brooklyn Town Hall at 400 W. Main St. Like the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington, D.C., the monument in Brooklyn uses shiny black granite to reflect the surrounding scenery and gives viewers a mirror image of themselves. In addition, it is artistically etched with a series of images representative of the various wars and conflicts, along with images of significance to Brooklyn at those same times. An etching of the sign “Brooklyn — population 1401” is shown on the final panel. Black stone benches complete the reflective setting.
The community of Belleville carved out a bit of space for their veterans memorial at the southeast corner of Community Park, with a scenic backdrop provided by the river and the pedestrian bridge that crosses it. Belleville divided their memorial into panels, including one with a list of all the wars and conflicts, and another showing the logos of the six branches of the military. There’s also a panel titled “Gold Star Boys.” It’s a reference to the flags and banners that were displayed by those with a family member in military service during World War I. The blue stars originally placed on the flags and banners would be replaced with a gold star if a family member died in the line of duty. It begins with Private Walter Duppler who died in World War I at age 22, and ends with Corporal James Plecity, who died in Vietnam at age 19. Plecity is also recognized on Panel 31E, Row 52 of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall, and is buried at Bethel Hawthorne Cemetery in Clarno.
Veterans from the New Glarus area are memorialized at a park near the elementary school. Fred Heisler and Moses Levitan served during the Spanish American War (1898). The Civil War era roster is reflective of the influx of immigrants from Glarus, Switzerland. The grey stone is carved with Swiss names – five from the Blum Family, five from the Hoesly Family, six Kunderts, and a few Leglers and Streiffs mixed in.
The Green County Veterans Memorial Park is located near Pleasant View Nursing Home west of Monroe. A dedication in May 2016 showcased the latest additions, including a memorial building designated as the “Hall of Honor” with panels listing those who served. The park also includes a tank and a “Huey” helicopter that survived action in Vietnam. It was restored under the guidance of local veteran Larry Ayres, who frequently flew those types of helicopters into combat zones to drop off and pick up ground troops.
— Noreen Rueckert is director for Green County Tourism and Green County Cheese Days, and helps out with Main Street Monroe’s Concerts on the Square. Her favorite cheese is rumored to be Feta. She has the best office in the county — overlooking Monroe’s Square from the tower of the Historic Green County Courthouse. She dabbles in photography and graphic design, adores cats and iced coffee, and secretly loves the Cheese Days Song.
