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With Memorial Day just around the corner, the City Council has decided that the two plaques in Mountain View dedicated to war veterans just aren’t enough.
On May 14 the City Council approved the Human Relations Commission’s (HRC) request for $4,000 for a new memorial and to begin a process for coming up with a design. Two memorials already exist, a plaque next to a tree behind City Hall dedicated to veterans of American wars between World War I and the Vietnam War, and a plaque dedicated to veterans of World War II at Eagle Park’s flag pole.
“We used to be a Navy town — military is more a part of our history,” said City Council member Mike Kasperzak. He and other members said that suggestions for another plaque didn’t go far enough — “a plaque is really underwhelming.”
“There are all kinds of ideas more interesting than adding another plaque,” said council member Ronit Bryant. “I would love to have some kind of water feature so somebody could just sit and listen to the water and the plaque will be there.”
Specific proposals have yet to be made, but the HRC wants a memorial “inclusive” of veterans of more recent wars, “a cost-efficient, but serene and contemplative memorial” that would “honor men and women connected to Mountain View who have served and are serving in the United States armed forces.”
The HRC also suggests a “‘buy-a-brick’ program where family members could ‘buy’ a piece of the memorial and engrave names into the space around the memorial.”
“Having bricks with names I think would really enrich the project if we did it that way,” Bryant said. “I would like to make it a richer project.”
She later added via email, “I expect the question of whether to add the names of veterans to the memorial will be part of the community conversation as we design the memorial.”
Resident Cindy Newman said the memorial could be “a focal point for ceremony and quiet reflection and cost-effective addition to an existing memorial, maybe at Eagle Park.”
“My only concern at this point is the $4,000 and whether or not that would be ample for a nice memorial,” added her husband Ken Newman, of American Legion post 558.
In a word of caution, City Manager Dan Rich said the city of Campbell has spent over six years designing a veterans memorial that has yet to be built. He was was Campbell’s city manager before coming to Mountain View in 2011.
“I caution you to be careful about how grand you want it to be,” Rich said.
Council members supported the idea of forming a committee to work on the project with members from the City Council, the Visual Arts Committee and the HRC.
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The memorial should be simple not grand. Remember this should have the names of those who served, U.S. flown 24 hours along with state flag. A vast to memorial is important for poppies, flowers and a reef. Water feature will be nice but remember to include the following words.
Lest We Forget.
Where and with whom do I see for purchasing a brick. How about benches.
Oops. That should say a base to the memorial.
At least 250,000 veterans are homeless. How about a statue of a homeless veteran begging for spare change? That would at least be honest, and it might act as a deterrent to young people considering military service on behalf of our corporate overlords.
A vet kills him or herself almost every hour, or at the rate of 22 a day. One currently serving military member kills themselves once a day on average.
We definitely need a memorial for all their issues that have been ignored.
I am always moved when I visit Cupertino’s veterans memorial off Stevens Creek Blvd. The names of the resident that surround the beautiful statue of Matthew Axelson and James Suh is the most majestic tribute.
Link to Cupertino’s memorial:
http://cupertinoveteransmemorial.org/index.html
Cupertino Population: 59,000
Mountain View Population: 74,000
I would be so proud if Mountain View did the same to honor our city’s heroes.
Good luck getting anything like Sunnyvale’s, Christopher. People in Mountain View would be up in arms over any sculpture depicting an assault weapon.
Correction: Cupertino’s
Eh.. I think the plaques we have right now are just fine.
Let’s be honest, how many people are really going to see these memorials? I can say I’ve seen both and have taken my children to see both. But only a few times. I would safely bet I’m in the minority in this city who can say that.
I attend the memorial day celebrations in Colma every year. The crowd there is not very big considering the number of people who live in the Bay Area.
Most people treat Memorial Day as just another day off. And that’s fine. I just don’t see the need for anything more than we have today.
Check out the Cupertino Memorial… truly a masterpiece….but the lefties of MtnView wouldn’t want anything that nice and classy.
I’m sure that we have some families inMtn View that have lost a son/daughter in Iraq or Afstupidgan.. they should be consulted.
Serious, go see Cupertino’s Memorial. Take a tissue with you.
(86 to Stevens Creek, left on S.Crk about 3 blocks.).. easy ride with great resulting viewl..
George
OOPS… Take 86, NOT 86, south out of MtnView.
G
DAMN…. TAKE HIWAY 85 from MtnView… Jeeze, what’s with my saying “”86 ?
All of the above is a perfect example of why we can’t get the simplest thing done in Mountain View, California, or the U.S. It also explains why any well-intentioned public servant will give up after a few years.
I don’t think you can make a memorial too big for what we owe our veterans. I applaud the Cupertino memorial and would be darn proud of Mountain View if they followed with something similar.
I’d be happy to see a memorial that would honor all our war dead by name.
Whether is should be as grand as Cupertino’s (a fine memorial) or as plain as an updated listing of names is not a great concern to me. My suggestion for location is the plaza between City Hall and the CPA but other locations would also work. Perhaps even the existing multiple locations is a good idea.
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