The soldier lies on his stomach with a German shepherd named Lars lying next to him. The two are sharing a military MRE (meals ready to eat) atop the pedestal they are positioned on. A look of contentment graces both of their faces.
“War Dog Memorial – A Tribute to Our Military Canines” is one of 30 memorials situated along the pathway at Soldiers Walk Memorial Park in Arcadia.
A second monument, titled Ruby Bradley, is still being assembled. When completed and unveiled on Aug. 7, the statue will honor the Army Nurse Corps officer, one of the most decorated women in U.S. military history. As a veteran of the WWII and the Korean War, Bradley was the third woman in Army history to be promoted to the rank of colonel. She earned 34 medals for her service.
These two monuments of moments in time, spanning decades of U.S. military history, are both the inspiration of benefactor Liz Gann, a Missouri resident with a military vein that runs deep within the fields of war. And both are a tribute to her “one true love,” as she likes to say. Oh, and Lars was the name of her favorite dog.
A former Minneapolis resident, Gann can trace her military lineage back to a 10-year-old soldier boy who served in George Washington’s army, was captured and spent the next five years of his life on an English prison ship off the coast of North Carolina. Fast-forward to today and Gann can recount stories of her mom’s cousin shot down and killed in the Korean War, just weeks after graduating from West Point; her brother-in-law who piloted the Stealth Bomber; and a former husband who returned from Vietnam as a different person. And that’s just the tip of the proverbial iceberg.
But the one individual she focuses on most is the “love of her life,” David Hackley, an attorney by trade but a rabid history buff in his off hours. Together for 30 years, the two of them traversed the world’s war parks, battlefields and memorials, reading every plaque within.
Hackley would even invite her to his weekly meetings with fellow war aficionados, just to listen to them debate and analyze intricate aspects of nearly every war fought on the globe.
“He had nearly 1,000 books on war history on his shelves when he passed six years ago,” she said. “He was a history nut and our trips to the battlefields exposed me to a whole different world. But what changed my life the most was our visit to Memorial Park in Arcadia years ago.”
There were no people, and the air was very still when they arrived.
“The grounds were absolutely amazing, so well kept. Flowers everywhere. Gorgeous is how I would describe it,” Gann said, “and the statue of George Washington in all his regal fineness greeted us from the start. So impressive.”
She and Hackley continued visiting other memorials through their 30 years together, but always returned to Memorial Park, at least a dozen more times, to view the latest monument additions.
The park, which is dedicated to veterans past, present and future, was the vision of Ron Wanek, founder and chairman of Ashley Furniture Industries, who wanted to honor Vietnam veterans, the majority of whom returned home to anti-war protestors rather than celebratory parades. Each monument along the Soldiers Walk is adorned with a plaque that includes information about the war or conflict it represents, details about what was going on in Arcadia at that particular time, as well as the number of Arcadia residents at that historical moment.
The rotunda, the first part of the walk, covers the period prior to the founding of Arcadia. Besides the war monuments, other highlights along the walkway include an M48 Patton Tank and a decommissioned F-16 fighter jet, a tribute to the country’s POWs titled “You Are Not Forgotten” and memorials honoring Gold Star families, the Civil War drummer boys, the Angel of Mercy and victims of the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
The 54-acre park also includes a 2,000-seat outdoor amphitheater inspired by Arlington National Cemetery. Its horseshoe-shaped contour is surrounded by the neighboring hills of Arcadia, which accommodate an additional 2,500 people. Other park amenities include an aquatic center, tennis and volleyball courts, picnic areas and a large wooden playground. The park is free and open to the public.
Gann is excited to return to the park for the dedication of the Bradley monument.
“Ruby was just one of those people with a work ethic and morals who found herself in crazy situations and was able to muster up the courage and do the things that needed to be done,” Gann said. “And that story of my mother’s cousin in Korea? I’d like to think that it was Ruby Bradley attending to him during his last moments. It’s just such a small world kind of thing when you think about it.”
For more information on Soldiers Walk Memorial Park, please visit soldierswalkmemorialpark.com.
