By Bob Arnold
Active and retired military personnel, leaders and members of veterans organizations, representatives of agencies and groups serving veterans and public officials and other dignitaries are expected to help the Town of Wesson dedicate a long-planned veterans memorial at an 11 a.m. ceremony on November 11.
The Town’s public works department completed work on the memorial and grounds in recent weeks, funded by Blue Cross Healthy Hometown grant monies and assistance from local donors. The memorial was part of the plans for the municipal park that opened eight years ago and was inspired by a ten-year old artist’s rendering.
The memorial is a new portion of the park behind the Copiah Clinic Wesson facility and beside the railroad tracks.
While the original artist’s rendering of the memorial showed a marble obelisk as its central feature, a less expensive 46-inch vertical 110-pound bronze statue – a Battlefield Cross created by Stan Watts at Atlas Bronze Castings in Salt Lake City, Utah – takes its place on the grounds. The durable bronze statue has an estimated 4,000-year lifespan.
The Battlefield Cross, or The Fallen Soldier Battle Cross, an iconic symbol which honors American men and women who gave their lives serving their country, recreates the ceremonial arrangement that soldiers in the field use to honor a soldier who has died on the battleground. A helmet signifying the fallen solider is atop an inverted rifle with bayonet denoting a time for prayer and combat boots at the base represent the final march of a soldier’s last battle.
The image of the Battlefield Cross is believed to date back as far as the American Civil War, when it was used to mark the temporary grave of a fallen soldier. It was commonly used in World Wars I and II as a marker for personnel to remove a body for burial, and also as a memorial. Since then, it has become a way for the living to memorialize and mourn those who die in battle.
The statue stands at the center in front of a brick wall with three 15-inch to 18-inch diameter 3D bronze emblems of the armed services flanking it on each side - Army, Marine Corps and Navy on the left, and Air Force, Coast Guard and Space Force on the right. In front of the wall, behind the statue and to its left and right, are the flags of Mississippi, the United States and POWs.
For the memorial, Wesson’s Aldermen have drawn on funds from the $100,000 Blue Cross Health Hometown grant designated for development of the municipal park, as well as donations. The grant funds covered costs related to property purchases, including surveys and closing costs; site development, including dirt work and sod; and a walkway. Alderman Michael King, U.S. Marine Corps (retired), provided funds to purchase the bronze Battlefield Cross, and Tori Earls, on behalf of Woodmen of the World, donated the flag poles.
The Town Aldermen welcome any other donations to fund the memorial, including the bronze service emblems, which are being purchased for $1,020 each. Those who wish to donate are asked to make checks payable to the Town of Wesson denoted for “Veteran’s Memorial” and deliver to City Hall.
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