A new way to honor veterans?

Changes may be made to the rules for inclusion Crook County War Memorial to reflect the fact that some county veterans did not serve during wartime, while others have lived here for many years but do not qualify for their names to be included.

Veterans who fall into these categories would not necessarily be added to the wall itself, but could still be honored with paving stones.

The conversation was spurred by Kenny Byrne, who approached Commissioner Bob Latham a little while ago to discuss maintenance of the memorial and to suggest some changes. Byrne said last week that he had been unsure when he did so whether anyone had taken on responsibility for its maintenance after Earl Gray passed away.

At that time, Latham said he was also unaware that a committee exists for the memorial. Current member Jill Mackey confirmed that Byrne has now been invited to join.

On Wednesday, Byrne shared his proposals for the memorial, beginning with better records.

As far as Byrne is aware, no paper record exists of the official discharge papers for each person currently featured on the memorial. In future, he suggested coming up with a form for inclusion that includes name, date and a copy of these papers.

Byrne also introduced his idea for “stepping stones” next to the memorial with the name, date and branch of service of each veteran. When he originally came up with the concept, it was for long-time members of the community who were not necessarily residents when they served.

According to Byrne, the rules state that a veteran must have been a resident of Crook County at the time they enlisted in order to be considered for inclusion on the memorial. This was confirmed by Mackey, a, who said that the rules also allow for a person who was a resident when they re-enlisted.

However, Byrne said he knows people who have lived here 40 years but are not eligible.

“I just thought that pavers would be a way to still be acknowledged as a Crook County veteran,” he said.

A second category of veteran that does not qualify for the wall exists, said Mackey. The memorial was intended for those who served during conflict, but not every veteran served during the years in question.

The stepping stones could also feature those who served their country, but not in wartime, she said.

As the memorial is county property, permission from the commission is necessary to make any changes to it. However, while the commission expressed that it would have no problem with stepping stones, planning and implementation of the project would be the responsibility of the committee.

“We’re not going to decide who goes on the wall and who does not,” said Commissioner Fred Devish. The county’s portion is maintenance and grass mowing, he said, and the rest is up to the committee.

Mackey said that the committee will meet to discuss potential changes to the selection criteria and these will then be brought back to the commission for approval and to update the county records.