BUCYRUS — Along the east wall of the Crawford County Courthouse now stands a monument which will ensure Crawford County military members.
A small crowd gathered Tuesday afternoon to admire the newly placed monument remembering the military members of Crawford County who died in the line of duty throughout American history.
The memorial is an extension of the Crawford County Hall of Fame memorial located on the corner of the courthouse property.
A central stone with a trifold flag reads, “Some Gave All, In Memory of Those Who Died While Serving.”
Two plaques feature the names of more than 500 military members who have a connection with Crawford County, including the unnamed men who perished alongside Col. William Crawford in the Revolutionary War.
The monument begins with the Revolutionary War and continues through the Persian Gulf War, including peacetime deaths throughout time.
Don Scheerer, of the Crawford County Veterans Hall of Fame, said $180,000 has been used to create the expanding monument to veterans in the county.
Sheerer said the next step for the organization is to install a monument for Purple Heart recipients in Crawford County.
He also said he likes the banners featuring veterans that are placed alongside the road in Galion and would like to see those countywide.
Both he and Chuck Christman said the project is worth the hours of work to honor veterans throughout Crawford County.
“This isn’t just a Bucyrus thing or an AMVETS thing,” Scheerer said. “This is for all of Crawford County.”
Christman said an encounter he had with a Columbus man was a perfect example of people enjoying the work being done.
“A man from Columbus contacted me after getting my phone number from someone he knew,” Christman said. “He said he was very upset when the fountain that used to be at the corner of the courthouse was removed because he always used to make sure he drove by to see it when he came through town. He said he was happy when he saw the monuments go in its place and said it was a great addition.”
The monument was created by Longstreth Memorials and the walkway pavers, which continue to be for sale, were placed by Oberlander’s Tree and Landscape.
The Crawford County Veterans Hall of Fame will induct its newest class Nov. 11 at Bucyrus High School.