Photo by Deb Gau Dawson community members unveiled a transparent “water wall” in memory of area veterans on Friday night. The water feature was one of three memorials at Dawson’s Veterans Park that were created at the request of the late Col. Wayne Moe.
DAWSON — They lived full lives that took them across the globe in service of their country. But the late Col. Wayne Moe and Audrey Moe never forgot their hometown of Dawson.
“Dawson always remained a place they loved deeply,” said Brig. Gen. Lowell Kruse, speaking before a crowd gathered at Veterans Park in Dawson. On Friday night, community members unveiled new veterans memorials for the park, which were created with the help of Wayne Moe and his family.
“It was a labor of love for so many,” Dawson City Council member Charlie Prestholdt said of the memorial project.
There were three additions to Dawson’s Veterans Park. One was a stone bench in memory of Wayne and Audrey Moe. Community members also unveiled a transparent “water wall” fountain in honor of all veterans, and a patriotic carving by chainsaw sculptor Jordan Dahl, who is also a Dawson native.
The statue, which has a bald eagle perched on a cross with the motto “In God We Trust,” was carved from the wood of an oak tree that was removed during a city project in Dawson, said Dawson City Manager Jill Kemen. The carving stands over 10 feet tall, and weighs around 1,500 pounds.
At the end of his life, Wayne Moe said he wanted to give something back to the community in Dawson, Moe’s daughter Laurie Buckhout said. Buckhout and Dawson city officials spent a lot of videoconferences together planning a memorial for Veterans Park.
Both Wayne and Audrey Moe were originally from Dawson, but they traveled far over the course of their lives, Kruse said at Friday’s ceremony. Wayne was an infantry officer who served in Germany during World War II, and Audrey was commissioned 2nd Lieutenant as an Army Air Corps flight nurse. In their wedding photo, which was carved on the stone memorial bench at the park, the Moes were both in uniform.
Wayne’s career later took him to Europe, northern Virginia and Asia. He was an infantry combat commander in World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War, and participated in the military campaigns at the Battle of the Bulge, Heartbreak Ridge in the Korean War, and the Vietnam Cross Border Operation. He is included in the Infantry Hall of Fame at the Infantry Center in Fort Benning, Georgia, Kruse said.
Together, Wane and Audrey were remembered as “a sparkling couple” who loved to entertain, Kruse said. Audrey was a great advocate of learning and self-sufficiency, and she encouraged their daughters to go on to higher education, he said.
Audrey Moe died in 2008, and Wayne Moe died in 2015 at the age of 95.
Buckhout said she was “stunned” to come back to Dawson and see how the memorials turned out.
“I didn’t know there was going to be a ceremony,” she said. Seeing the memorials and the community response ended up being very emotional for her, she said.
Buckhout said growing up in Dawson shaped her parents’ lives, and their connection to the town stayed strong.
“Dawson really gave them the foundation to be successful,” she said. “I think it made them successful Americans.”
"Love" - Google News
June 28, 2021 at 01:01PM
https://ift.tt/3A88MSG
'It was a labor of love' | News, Sports, Jobs - Marshall Independent
"Love" - Google News
https://ift.tt/35xnZOr
https://ift.tt/2z10xgv
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "'It was a labor of love' | News, Sports, Jobs - Marshall Independent"
Post a Comment