One veteran’s anger over Veterans Wall move

I recently learned that the property the Wasilla Veterans wall rests upon is to be sold to developer who wants to build a clinic there. There was talk of the wall being relocated, much to the protest of various veterans groups and supporters. I stand with them and say NO to the notion of relocation.

This wall is a veteran’s memorial and therefore sacred ground dedicated to all veterans who have ever served, living or dead. This is the place we honor our dead brothers and sisters in arms twice a year on Veteran’s Day and Memorial Day. A place where we veterans gather to render honors to our dead as “Taps” plays into the cold wind and into our hearts. In my opinion, it should not be moved period.

To move it would be a desecration to our veteran dead and slap in the faces of our veterans living. Do that you will earn the anger and the condemnation of every veteran in the Valley and beyond.

The last paragraph was a warning to the developer of Spring Creek Capital of Eagle, Idaho. This next message goes not only to the developers in question, but directly to our city and borough officials. Think twice about this, make that three times before even thinking about touching that wall. This veteran is deeply angry at the mere suggestion of moving the Veteran’s Wall of Wasilla. I’m not alone on this either. You can ot move a memorial of this nature. Would you move the Vietnam wall or the World War II Memorial in Washington D.C to build on its land? No of course not. Well the same thing applies here, the exact same principle is in effect. Build around it, incorporate it into your design for that clinic. That would be the best and easiest solution to this issue.

But do not touch one brick, not one rock nor a blade of grass of our memorial to our fallen. I have heard the ashes of some of them rest there. This may be a small Alaskan town but we are also Americans proud of the veteran’s who served this nation in war and peace.

As you can tell I’m deeply angered at the mere suggestion of moving it. I am a veteran, a retired soldier of the U.S. Army. A veteran of the war in Iraq with more than 21 years of service under my belt before retiring. So messing with a memorial to our fallen, my fallen, sets my blood to boiling. We must resist this so-called move. It must never be allowed to happen period, end of story, end of line.

I don’t care one bit one much money is involved. That $1.215 million dollars can be a trillion dollars and it would not move me to agree to moving that wall one single inch. I’m not going to stand aside and let some civilians in Idaho screw over my fellow veterans living and dead who are family to me. You don’t let family get messed over like that. You defend them with every breath, every heartbeat and every bit of one’s soul.

We the veterans of America defended this nation with our lives. All we ask — all I ask — is for our memorials to our fallen to remain untouched for us, the living to honor them in our own fashion. Those honors were earned by their spilt blood and their very lives defending this nation. We are alive and free thanks to those who gave all.

I challenge those people involved in this deal to come out on Veteran’s Day and see just what the Veteran’s Wall of Wasilla means to those that served. I humbly ask all veterans in the Valley and beyond to come out, join us in honoring our fallen brothers and sisters in arms. Please show those who would attempt to relocate our memorial our true feelings on this deeply emotional issue. I believe this would change their minds in a heartbeat. At least that is my hope and I pray, the hope of all veterans reading this.

Daniel D. Grota is a retired U.S. Army veteran with over 21 years in service. He is also a Tuesday morning co-host on KVRF 89.5 FM, Radio Free Palmer. Write to him at news@frontiersman.com