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Local Monuments Celebrate Sacrifices At Pearl Harbor And Elsewhere

By Jeff Neumeyer
June 18, 2010 Updated Dec 7, 2009 at 5:25 PM EST FORT WAYNE, IN (Indiana's NewsCenter) --- As the nation marked the anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor Monday, we asked the question, where can you find Allen County's public monuments honoring veterans, and who is taking care of them? Three prime locations stand out, with each of the exhibits celebrating the virtues and sacrifices of all who served to protect our country's freedoms. More than 2,200 sailors, marines and soldiers were killed December 7, 1941, when Japanese bombers sank four American battleships. A monument at Memorial Park honors survivors of that event and other veterans. The monument makes special mention of the years 1917 and 1918, when American soldiers fought in World War I, but its tribute extends to all veterans. Local service organizations like the Anthony Wayne Rotary Club have volunteered to do upkeep on the display, but the Fort Wayne Parks Department is ultimately responsible for the maintenance work. An anchor posted outside the Memorial Coliseum is on loan from the U.S. Navy, but says “thank you” to veterans of any service branch or conflict. Coliseum operating funds are used to keep that exhibit in good order. Meanwhile, the War Veterans Memorial Shrine on O'Day Road includes monuments for the Korean War, Vietnam War and a host of others. The specific groups that erected the monuments are generally responsible for upkeep, but the Allen County Council of Veterans sometimes has to step up. Craig Savage/Allen County Council of Veterans: " All of us are getting older and we kind of go away. If there's nobody there to take care of it, then we take over and try to maintain them as much as possible. We work strictly on donations and under the economy right now, donations are kind of scarce." A model of a military airplane is also displayed on the Memorial Coliseum grounds, but the Indiana Air National Guard makes sure it is painted and is otherwise kept in good condition.
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