Swampscott looks ahead to memorial dedication

SWAMPSCOTT – Plans for a new monument have been in a holding pattern for months, but Veterans Agent James Schultz hopes to change that.The selectmen appointed a seven-member committee in September 2009 after voting to rescind acceptance of a free monument that was criticized by some residents as being inappropriate for the historic Monument Avenue area.The committee was charged with finding an appropriate way to commemorate those who served in the Middle East. The committee is comprised of Shultz, former selectman Eric Walker, former selectman Paul Levenson, architect Richard Smith and Historical Commission designee Lou Gallo. Cindy Blonder, whose husband Jeffrey served in Afghanistan, and Jaclyn Raymond, who is the mother of Army Specialist Jared Raymond, the town’s first military casualty in Iraq, are also on the committee.Schultz said the group had initially hoped to have a monument in place in time for a Veterans Day dedication.”It looks like that is not going to happen,” Schultz said. “We’re trying to gather everyone together now and get a design so we can start raising money to pay for the Global War on Terror monument. I believe it will cost around $25,000.”Schultz said the committee worked with the Swampscott Historical Commission to come up with design guidelines for the proposed monument, which he expects would have more than 60 names on it.”We received two designs,” he said. “One was from O’Rourke Brothers in Salem and the other was from Woodlawn memorials in Everett. Both designs were a little too basic and generic. I think it was because the design guidelines were a little too restrictive so we asked the two companies that submitted designs to rework their designs using a little more creativity.”Schultz said the monument would incorporate the names of two Swampscott residents who were non-military victims of the Global War on terror in a small niche or a small companion monument. Robert Jalbert was aboard United Airlines Flight 175, which hit the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001, and journalist Michael Kelly was killed covering the invasion of Iraq in 2003.Schultz said the town is planning a big parade and veterans appreciation event on June 4, 2011 and he would like to be able to dedicate the memorial during that event.The memorial committee is looking for names of service members who served in the Middle East. Area residents should submit names for possible inclusion on the monument to [email protected] or by calling 781-596-8853.Individuals can send tax deductible donations for the new monument to Swampscott Veterans Trust Fund, c/o Town Hall, 22 Monument Ave., 01907.