DE PERE, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – Just days before Independence Day, a new veteran’s monument was unveiled at VFW park.
The dedication ceremony attracted veterans from across the state. Air Force veteran and Wisconsin VFW commander Michele Rathke said the monument will live on for generations.
“It’s such a privilege to know I could come back here with my grandkids and show them that I was here at the dedication,” she said.
Speakers included Rathke, De Pere mayor James Boyd, retired Army Major General Dan Ammerman and state senator Andre Jacque, who said the memorial had a special meaning to him, as the son of a veteran.
“What I’m able to do pales to what they’re willing to do in terms of sacrificing,” he said. “So it really is something where I’m not that big a deal in the grand scheme of things, but our veterans are.”
In Dan Ammerman’s speech, he recognized audience members who had served in various branches of the military, thanking them for their service.
“The men and woman who have served or are currently serving in the United States uniformed services listed on this memorial are the true guardians of freedom, justice and equality for all.
The ceremony included music from an Army band of the Wisconsin National Guard, a national anthem performance and concluded with the reveal of the monument for the first time. Those in attendance look forward to seeing the continued partnership between the VFW and the city of De Pere.
“I’m not originally from Wisconsin, I’m from Ohio originally but De Pere has definitely got the veteran’s and the community’s support,” Rathke said.
“It’s a beautiful monument and it really fits in beautifully with what really is a gem for the city of De Pere,” Jacque said.
