Hundreds turned out for the dedication, among them veterans of the Korean War and World War II. Early in the ceremony, Master of Ceremonies and Veteran Service Officer John “Hoot” Gibson invited these men to unveil the statue.
“To you gentlemen who served in those two wars and made this country what it is today, you have our deepest gratitude,” Gibson said. “We honor you.”
People clapped and cheered at the first glimpse of Meeker sculptor John Kobald’s piece on its custom stone pedestal. The 1-1/4-life-sized bronze of a present-day foot soldier matches the sculpture unveiled in Meeker on July 4, 2013, and is the result of three years’ joint effort between the Rangely and Meeker VFW posts. Hundreds of individual, group and corporate donations made the sculptures and memorial spaces possible.
“It’s just a pleasure to live in such a great county,” Gibson said. “The support we’ve gotten is just awesome. It hasn’t been one VFW post against another, it hasn’t been Meeker versus Rangely. It’s been Rio Blanco County from start to finish. And hopefully this will help to bring the county even stronger together.”
During the ceremony, Kobald spoke of the intellectual process that went into the pieces.
“We came up with the idea of a modern foot soldier, a soldier pressing onward in an uphill struggle, ever-vigilant of what could lay ahead,” he said. “While sculpting this statue, I had plenty of time to think about our servicemen and women – the thought of the sacrifices they would make while serving our country and the resolution they had to continue forward in some very dire circumstances. The title, ‘Sacrifice and Resolution,’ came to be.”
Guest speaker Army Sgt. Major Corky Powell, Jr. echoed other speakers’ sentiments in thanking current and former service men and women and those who spearheaded the memorial’s fundraising and planning efforts.
He encouraged listeners to think specifically about the people, places and organizations that make up military efforts worldwide, giving particular credit to those entering the service now.
“When I joined the military, there were no conflicts, so I really wasn’t sure what I was getting into,” he said. “But every day, men and women join in this day and age knowing for a fact, 100 percent, that within six months they will be deployed to a combat area. My hat is off to them.”
Speaker George Smitman, a retired U.S. Navy lieutenant commander, said military service thrives thanks to people who serve in other ways.
“All the veterans we have here today are the product of the American people,” he said. “We often forget about parents, families, loved ones, friends and relatives, neighbors who’ve all had a part in our lives.
The service people, doctors… our ag people who provided us with the food. Our commercial merchants who provided us with our needs… It’s all of these people we should be thinking of today; veterans as they are also, civilian and military.”
Others involved in the dedication included Angie Kenney singing the national anthem, Rangely mayor and veteran Frank Huitt and Parkview Elementary School fifth-graders leading the Pledge of Allegiance. Pastors and veterans Mark Futch and Rodger Reed opened and closed the dedication in prayer.
