Desert Shield/Desert Storm monument in works for Swampscott

SWAMPSCOTT – A monument to those who served in Desert Shield/Desert Storm will be dedicated this spring.
Veterans Agent Jim Schultz said he hopes the new monument would be in place in time for a dedication on Armed Forces Day, May 16.
The monument is being created by Woodlawn Memorials in Everett.
Dave DeFilippo, the owner of Woodlawn Memorials, said the stone being used for the monument is rainbow sandstone granite, from India and is very appropriate for the Desert Storm/Desert Shield monument.
?It is beautiful,” he said. “It represents the desert. This is the closest thing to the desert of any granite or sandstone out there. The 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 the monument would be approximately six-feet long and four-feet tall. He said the monument is in pieces at Rock of Ages in Vermont where the engraving would be done.
?It’s very unique with an oval shaped centerpiece,” he said. “The theme of the sun beating down on the desert is very fitting.”
Schultz said he has compiled a list of 26 names of Swampscott residents, who served in Desert Shield and Desert Storm. He added the names would not be inscribed on the monument in alphabetical order and room would be left for six additional names to be inscribed at a later date.
?I spoke to someone in Derry, New Hampshire and they do it that way,” he said. “It makes people stop and look at the whole monument.”
Schultz said the Revolutionary War monument, which is near the flagpole, would be moved closer to the water and the new monument would be placed near the current site of the Revolutionary War monument.
This is the first monument the company has created for the town but Woodlawn Memorials Inc. 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 and 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. “As soon as we finish this one we will start right away planning a Global War on Terror Monument.”