Don't make veterans pay for own memorial

Our Word
Daily Egyptian

The city has the funds to give 200 incentive packages worth $5,760 each - or a total of $1.2 million - to people who are willing to build single family homes in Carbondale. All any of those people have to do for this financial reward is live in their new house for 18 months.

For those who have risked life and limb for our country, the city council is also offering a reward.

The reward being offered to the veterans is kind of like giving a team of tee-ball players a trophy at the end of a tough season ? and then telling them their trophy is being paid for out of their $5 weekly allowance.

When the Carbondale Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2506 came to the City council Oct. 21 with their idea of having a plaque built on the southeast corner of the Town Square, the council unanimously approved their plans.

Two weeks later, when the VFW asked the council to help fund the memorial, they were turned away - or rather, postponed - because of financial hardships.

According to Carbondale City Manager Jeff Doherty's recommendations for action, the city shouldn't help pay for the memorial because it can't afford to provide funding in the sum of $8,206, which has been asked by the VFW to help build the proposed 18-foot wide and 3 1/2-foot tall monument.

"Simply stated, the city does not have sufficient funds available to finance every worthy cause in the community," Doherty reported to the council.

In his report, Doherty also wrote, "The Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2506 is essentially asking the city to pay the entire cost of the wall, sign, concrete base and sidewalk which it wants to install in the Town Square. The post will assume responsibility for fund for the six plaques to be affixed to the concrete base."

Assuming responsibility for the six plaques is no small task, Mr. Doherty, considering they will cost about $6,000. And the veterans, many of who are living on fixed incomes, do not have a huge budget to draw from.

David Conrad, a Korean War veteran and chairman of the VFW committee, said it best when he reminded the Daily Egyptian that veterans should not have to bear the financial burden of the memorial.

"We shouldn't be the ones paying," he said. "We're the ones that are supposed to be honored here."

Do Jeff Doherty and the Carbondale City Council really want to make the veterans pay for their own memorial?

We surely hope not.

We know these are rough times economically, but statistically, Carbondale is one of the wealthiest cities ˘ at least economically. When it comes to being gracious for the service countless men and women gave to this country, Carbondale lags behind.

In a perfect word, local construction workers would donate a day's work and get the job done quickly and economically. In a decent world, veterans wouldn't have to pay a penny of their own memorial.

In the real world, the Carbondale City Council has passed the issue of helping fund the memorial on to Carbondale Main Street, which is actually a subdivision of the council and receives $70,000 in funding from the city.

If the current city budget truly doesn't have the money to dish out, now would be the perfect time for Main Street to take on this project - all $14,206 of it. The money would be well spent, as the memorial would be a permanent improvement to the downtown area, a reward for everyone.

Copyright 2009 - Daily Egyptian