Bluffton’s new Veterans Park hosts its first-ever Memorial Day ceremony
The American Legion Post 205 hosted its first-ever Memorial Day ceremony at Bluffton Veterans Park in Buckwalter Place on Monday.
Those in attendance were excited for the connection that comes with being in a town with such a strong military community.
Norman Marx, who served during the Vietnam War from 1970 to 1972, made the move to Bluffton from New Jersey and said he was at the event to meet new people. He wore a shirt with a message urging people not to thank him, but to instead thank those who were killed in battle.
“I’m here,” Marx said. “I made it and others didn’t.”
The event included a procession of the flags, a poetry reading from David Hahn and speeches from Mayor Lisa Sulka and Fortune 500 Speaker Major General Craig Whelden.
The park, and its brick memorial, have been a long time coming, said American Legion Auxiliary Post 205 Chaplain Kay Ranta.
“I had a dream,” Ranta said. “I wanted to have a place in Bluffton where people could go to pray and pay tribute to those who served.”
The park took a little over three years to be built from when it was first proposed to council in 2017. It is the first memorial for active duty service members and veterans in Bluffton, according to the American Legion Post 205 website.
Getting the project completed required attending countless meetings and lots of begging, Ranta said. Her tenacity paid off, and the park was approved by council in 2018.
“Kay did all the grunt work,” Sergeant at Arms for the American Legion Post 205 Steve Robillard said. “She was the dog that made this guy go.”
Construction finished in 2019 and an official dedication ceremony for Memorial Day in 2020 was slated, but the COVID-19 pandemic thwarted those plans.
“Surprise, surprise, the pandemic,” Robillard said. “Because of that, a parade wasn’t appropriate.”
Instead, they had seven American Legion Post 205 members come to the park at noon last year to raise and lower the flags, while they looked forward to observing Memorial Day the way they wanted.
Honoring those that have passed, Robillard said in a previous interview, is the entire purpose of Memorial Day.
“Fortunately, whenever we have events like this the folks are pleased and grateful,” Robillard said. “It’s such a great town to be in and there’s always a great response.”
This story was originally published May 31, 2021 at 3:30 PM.
