St. James Veterans Memorial

On Saturday, May 19, 2012 there was a dedication of the St. James Veterans Memorial. The granite monument is located near the town hall and St. James Community Center across the street from St. James Plantation on 211 in Southport, NC. The granite monument honors all past and present members of our Armed Forces and was paid for by residents who purchased commemorative bricks to honor those who have served in the military. The 580 bricks sold so far are laid in the sidewalk in front of the memorial stone. Two benches will be installed soon to create a place for reflection and rermembrance of those who have served our country.

DAR member, Fran Carlsen, who also served in the Army was there to represent the Brunswick Town Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution.The memorial was dedicated on Armed Forces Day, when our country honors Americans who served in any of the five military services. The keynote speaker was retired Army General Dan K. McNeil, who related a touching story about a young solder who served a greater calling during the Vietnam War. Master of Ceremonies LTG (Ret.) Joe Kinzer praised the Veterans Memorial committee for more than three years of work to bring its vision of a memorial to a reality.  After the monument's unveiling, a reception was held in the Community Center at St. James.

A special thank you is extended to St. James residents, Gayle Allen, who contributed the above article, which was published in the Cat-Tales Magazine, June 2012; Volume 19 Issue 6 as a contributing writer for the magazine, along with professional photographer John Muuss who took the picture above, " A Time to Remember."

Photo contributed by St. James resident, Valerie Schultz.