War memorials: A great opportunity

Several people who have voiced objections to the current plan of locating war memorials at the Common Pleas Courthouse Park have found their patriotism questioned.

That is unfortunate.

Those I have heard from could not be bigger lovers of our country and its armed forces.

Some of these people signed a letter I drafted, which contributed to the Cape Girardeau County Commission's decision not to approve the plan for the Common Pleas Courthouse Park.

Let me tell you about these people, since on more than one occasion they have been dismissed as a group of prominent business people, as if that's a bad thing. You will quickly notice that all signatories have direct ties to the immediate neighborhood.

One of the signatories is a woman who works across the street from the park. Her family, during the past 100 years, donated many of the trees there, helping to establish the park as it is. These are rare trees, and a part of the community's history. Her son is a veteran of Desert Storm.

Another signer is a homeowner across the street from the courthouse. Her son is a medic in the Missouri National Guard, currently serving in Iraq. In recent years, she and her husband have renovated a dilapidated home, turning it from an eyesore into a neighborhood jewel now on the historic register. They walk in the park on a regular basis, and their front porch looks out onto the lawn.

Their neighbor, who takes diligent care of a smaller historic home -- also on the national register -- signed the letter, as well. Her father is a veteran, as are many of her ancestors. She was also the driving force behind the publication of a book about regional war heroes.

Another signatory is a woman who works at a church adjoining the grounds. As such, she is intimately familiar with the lay of the land and how the grounds are used for church and community events.

Six of the signatories are, indeed, prominent business people. But they are leaders with businesses in the immediate neighborhood, and they either drive by or visit the park on a nearly daily basis.

They did not sign the letter on behalf of their organizations. Instead, they signed as individuals who cherish the park and question not the intentions for paying tribute to war veterans but rather the location and design of the current plans for a proliferation of tall monuments and bricked sidewalks. These individuals have donated great sums of time and money to downtown redevelopment, and their support of the area is not temporary or narrow.

Among the business leaders above, several live in the immediate area. They know the park. They see how it's used. They appreciate the aesthetic charm of the gazebo, the fountain, the courthouse and the trees -- and how there is a balance of foreground objects and distant -- which would be distorted by the current plan.

I also know these individuals would likely be huge boosters for a war memorial plan in the downtown -- or elsewhere, if there is a better place -- that didn't detract from an existing park. Unfortunately, earlier expressions of concern about the current plans were ignored.

The final two signatories include the leader (whose husband is a Marine) of a local not-for-profit charged with improving the downtown, and a local historic preservationist, who has directly or indirectly been involved in projects that have led to millions of dollars being invested in renovating downtown structures.

This historic preservation specialist has also been involved in the project to gain historic recognition for the courthouse itself, so she too is intimately familiar with the grounds. Most of her work on behalf of the downtown is voluntary, because she sees the area as a special place for Cape Girardeau and the region. Her father was the veteran of two wars.

In other words, these are people who love their country and their community and are working to make them better places to live.

They also have the common link of knowing the Common Pleas Courthouse Park well. Whether their perspective is meaningful is up to our city and county governments, but to call them unpatriotic is a disservice to what veterans stand for.

Without our armed forces and their sacrifices since the founding of our nation, the freedoms we experience today would not be possible.

By working together -- rather than seeking to be divisive -- VietNow has an opportunity to create something spectacular to honor these heroes and which does not tread on others. Let's find the right place for such a memorial park and make it great.

I hope a meeting that I've been invited to tomorrow at the Osage Community Centre will be the beginning of a constructive process. After all, the goal is a noble one.

Jon K. Rust is a resident of downtown Cape Girardeau and publisher of the Southeast Missourian. E-mail: jrust@semissourian.<I>