Swampscott to install Desert Storm/Shield war monument

SWAMPSCOTT – A monument to those who served in Desert Shield/Desert Storm could be erected in town this fall.Veterans Agent Jim Schultz said he hopes the new monument would be in place in time for a Veteran’s Day dedication ceremony.The granite for the new monument is currently being cut in India. Schultz declined to say what kind of granite the monument is being made from because he wants people to be surprised.”Let’s just say it’s very appropriate for this monument,” he said. “I think people will be pleased.”Schultz said Woodlawn Memorials Inc. in Everett would create the monument.Woodlawn owner Dave DeFilippo said the monument would be approximately six feet long and four feet tall.”It has two different types of granite incorporated into it,” he said. “The granite we are using is only available in India so we are waiting for it to arrive stateside. A lot of the carving for the monument will be done at Rock of Ages in Vermont.”DeFilippo said the monument would be fitting for those who served in Desert Shield/Desert Storm.”I think people will be pleasantly surprised,” he said. “The whole monument resembles the desert experience – the sun, the sand and the heat. The designs on the end posts represent the hot desert sun. One look and people will know it memorializes Desert Shield/Desert Storm. It’s very unique and I think it will attract a lot of attention.”DeFilippo said he would like to be able to take credit for the design, but he said Swampscott resident Tracy Williams conceived the idea.”She came up with the initial design,” he said. “It’s very unique with an oval-shaped centerpiece and the theme of the sun beating down on the desert.”Schultz said he has compiled a list of 25 names that would be inscribed on the monument, but the names would not be listed in alphabetical order.”I saw one in another community that did not list names alphabetically,” he said. “It makes people stop and look at the whole monument.”Schultz said if the Board of Selectmen gives its approval, the monument would be installed on Monument Avenue between the Revolutionary War Monument and the World War I Honor Roll.This is the first monument Woodlawn Memorials has created for the town but the company has restored several monuments in Swampscott in recent years at no cost to the town.DeFilippo said a monument like the one being constructed would cost upwards of $10,000, but he is doing the monument for the town at his cost, which is approximately $6,000. David Solimine Sr. of Solimine, Landergan & Richardson Funeral Homes is paying for the engraving on the monument.Schultz asked anyone who knows of a Swampscott resident who served between Aug. 2, 1990 and Nov. 21, 1995, to contact his office at 781-596-8853.”We want to be sure all eligible Swampscott residents are listed,” he said.