NEVER FORGET
opens with fanfare
Names of 11 fallen servicemen recorded at site
HUTTO — Bagpipes, flags, salutes and civic pride heralded the unveiling of the Hutto Veterans Memorial this past weekend, an event four years in the making, sponsors said. The monument at 500 Live Oak St. on the west side of City Hall includes three walls paying tribute to those gave their lives for their country and honors the six military branches.
Initiated by Williamson County Precinct 4 Commissioner Russ Boles, it took the collaboration of many agencies and organizations to make the monument possible, officials said at the ceremony Sept. 27.
A veteran and a young man reflect on the names of the fallen at the Hutto Veterans Memorial dedication. The memorial has stations honoring six branches of the military as well as the 11 local people who lost their lives during military service.
Dr. Zachary Crislip (right) and J. Lynn Crislip paid tribute to Hutto residents who died during military campaigns with a bagpipe rendition of “Amazing Grace” at the Hutto Veterans Memorial Dedication Sept. 27. Photos by Edie Zuvanich
After noticing the absence of a war memorial, Boles approached the city with an offer to help get one started, with the county providing $100,000 from its recreation fund toward the $556,853 project.
“One of the things we’ve been able to do is partner with the city of Hutto and our veterans to come up with this memorial and it is fantastic,” Boles told the crowd. “Our veterans are important. They don’t come in one size fits all. Some need more, some need less. But at the very least they all need our appreciation.”
The project overcame many barriers, according to Perry Savard, chairman of the Parks Advisory Board and a member of the Monument Committee. There were multiple design changes, severe weather delays, logistical problems getting materials delivered, issues with moving irrigation lines and contractor challenges.
Even shifting the city’s flagpoles to be closer to the site proved problematic, officials said.
In the end, however, the result is a space Savard hopes will invite people to experience a sense of peace as they contemplate the sacrifices of the United States’ servicemen and servicewomen.
The monument features plaques with the names of men who lived in Hutto when they enlisted, when they died or went missing in action and — where available — the year they graduated from Hutto High School.
“I hope that they (visitors) find a place to come where they can be peaceful and solemn and reflect on the sacrifices that these 11 men made, but even more so than that, the over 600,000 U.S. citizens that died in combat from the American Revolutionary War to now,” Savard said.
The names frame a quote from President Harry S. Truman: “Our debt to the heroic men and valiant women in the service of our country can never be repaid. They have earned our undying gratitude. America will never forget their sacrifice.
Because of these sacrifices, the dawn of justice and freedom throughout the world slowly casts its gleam across the horizon.”
Hutto Independent School District JROTC members stand ready to present the flags at the Hutto Veterans Memorial dedication ceremony.
Photo by Edie Zuvanich
