Veterans, local government, volunteers combine to preserve military monuments
The “Doughboy” memorial in downtown Mt. Pleasant was commissioned to honor the commitment and sacrifice of the men and women who fought for their country in World War I.
Over the years, however, the memorial itself has gone through some battles of its own — with traffic.
Commissioned and built in 1924, it has been knocked over in 1927, 1968 and on New Year’s Eve 1981.
Each time, it has cost increasing amounts of money to replace. While the statue’s base was modified so that it spins when struck instead of shattering, the statue itself has yet to survive a fall intact. The heads of previous Doughboys can be found on display in the Mt. Pleasant borough building.
In the absence of its occasional destruction, however, the cost of maintaining it is relatively low, according to Mt. Pleasant Borough Manager Sharon Lesko.
“It falls under our property budget,” Lesko said. “There’s an area where they do some landscaping, but there’s not a whole lot of maintenance we do as far as the monument itself.”
As the country recognizes its military men and women for Veterans Day on Tuesday, countless volunteers, veteran groups and others take the time — and find the money — to maintain veteran memorials all across Western Pennsylvania.
In early November, students from the Northern Westmoreland Career & Technology Center were in New Kensington, putting up American flags outside Valley High School. This helped with a Burrell-New Kensington Rotary Club project that has been ongoing for more than a quarter-century.
“We use Valley’s track fence,” said Jill Awes, the CTC’s business industry liaison and a member of the Rotary. “I happened to be working here when the project was proposed. Our students go and put the flags out for Veterans Day, Memorial Day, Labor Day, the big holidays.”
The project’s cost is minimal. Damaged flags are taken down and brought to the local American Legion to be disposed of in accordance with federal law.
CTC Director Jason Hicks said the project helps students build teamwork and leadership skills, while cultivating empathy and respect for veterans.
“We talk with them about the sacrifices our veterans have made, and it’s great to see that community pride be instilled in them,” Hicks said.
In Lower Burrell, the city council, American Legion and VFW came together to discuss the future of the veterans memorial outside the now-closed Stewart Elementary School.
“The plans are still in the works, but at the meeting they talked about moving it to a different school,” said Rob Taylor, vice commander at American Legion Post 868. “It sounded pretty cool. They wanted to get kids and the vo-tech classes involved, and maybe create something like a walking path at the new location. But it’s early in the planning stages now.”
Jason Wagner, 18, who recently served as a junior councilman in Lower Burrell, said it’s “absolutely important to keep that monument.”
“We owe it to those folks for what they gave and what they risked,” he said.
If Lower Burrell officials need advice on making the move, they could consult the Export Historical Society. In 2021, the society removed the borough’s veterans honor roll from the wall of the former American Legion on Kennedy Avenue.
It was moved up the street and is now part of the borough’s newly redeveloped downtown area. The project was funded primarily through a sizable donation from borough native Gary Wuslich.
“From an aesthetic perspective, it’s a great addition to showcase this part of town,” said historical society board member John Lukacs. “The memorial is a living history, because so many of the people whose names are on the memorial still have relatives here in town.”
The relocated memorial is a little less than 4 years old, and Lukacs said the ongoing maintenance costs are minimal.
“Structurally, it’s pretty sound,” he said. “We have a landscaping crew that keeps it looking nice, and next year for the 250th anniversary of the country, we’re going to be updating the memorial with some names we’ve found that should be on there.”
Local towns, veterans organizations and volunteers all come together to help preserve and maintain the region’s veterans memorials.
Back in Mt. Pleasant, Councilwoman Patience Barnes is part of the borough’s veterans committee that meets monthly. She works to maintain the Veterans Wall on South Diamond Street across from the Doughboy memorial.
“Mainly we work on adding names to the wall and maintaining the park itself,” Barnes said. “We fundraised about $30,000 to put new lights in, and after we ran out of physical spaces, we added a digital sign to the wall, which we also maintain.”
The digital wall plays video with the names, pictures, service records and stories of veterans.
“My brother was a medic in Vietnam,” Barnes said. “I’m very touched by what veterans go through. They have a special place in my heart. They’re proud of the park, and I’m proud of the work they do to help keep it beautiful.”
Patrick Varine is a TribLive reporter covering Delmont, Export and Murrysville. He is a Western Pennsylvania native and joined the Trib in 2010 after working as a reporter and editor with the former Dover Post Co. in Delaware. He can be reached at pvarine@triblive.com.
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