Dugan, a retired lieutenant colonel, served as master of ceremonies and welcomed the honored guests: Altus Mayor T.L. Gramling; Col. Carlton Dewey Everhart II, commander, 97th Air Mobility Wing, Altus Air Force Base; representatives of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the American Legion and the Disabled American Veterans; the veterans present and the family members who waited while loved ones were deployed, were in harm's way or were undergoing lengthy training.
Quoting the poet, Milton, Dugan said, “We have a saying in the military, ‘Those also serve who stand and wait.'”
Honoring or memorializing military veterans became a reality when the Altus City Council approved the Altus Centennial Grove in December 2004. The planting of the trees, complete with drip irrigation, on both sides of Veterans Drive and the entrance to Altus Air Force Base was completed with private donations and was accepted by the Oklahoma Centennial Commission as an official Oklahoma Centennial project.
Catherine Coke sang a stirring rendition of “The Star Spangled Banner,” while the Altus Air Force Base Honor Guard stood at attention.
After the reading of the veterans' names, Mayor Gramling, Col. Everhart; Virgil Williams, Department of Oklahoma Disabled American Veterans, and Rick Carter, American Legion, unveiled the monument erected to record the names and branch of service of the military veterans honored of memorialized. A companion monolith will bear inscriptions of 72 more names; donors of $200 may still memorialize or honor a veteran by calling Altus City Hall at 580-481-2202.
Mayor Gramling thanked those who made the project possible: Earle Stine, M.D., and Henry Hartsell, project co-chairmen; Don Johnson, dedication program chairman; Danny Pickett, donor of more than 3,000 trees for a small fee; Randy Marple and the Parks Department for planting trees and installing the drip irrigation system; Street Commissioner Holmes Willis and the Street Department, preparation of the monument base and building of an adjacent parking lot; Linda Walker, executive assistant, donations; Phil Beauchamp, engineering drawings; Bill Willis of Willis Granite Products Inc. and Brenda Hickerson, both of Granite, monument and design; Altus Air Force Base Honor Guard; Laureate Psi Chapter of Beta Sigma Phi, donation of crepe myrtles planted around the memorial; Barbara Burleson; City Administrator Mike Nettles.
“I appreciate all the families of the veterans; we are grateful to the veterans for donating their services and giving their lives for our freedom,” said Mayor Gramling, who also thanked the widows for attending.
According to the mayor, the city plans to extend the tree plantings west along Tamarack Road to North Main Street. He thanked the Altus City Council for purchasing a large tree spade for removing the large trees from the Pickett tree farm.
“This is a great day of celebration. As our folks come down Veterans Drive to the base, this monument and memorial is the first thing they will see,” Col. Everhart said. “This is a celebration not only of the Oklahoma Centennial but of the local folks here in Altus; we take our hats off to you and thank you so much for what you do for this great base and this great city of Altus. It is a legacy that we all can be proud of; it will represent the United States armed forces.”
The playing of “Taps” concluded the program. “'Taps' is played on military installations at the end of each day,” Chaplain Dugan said. “It is also played at the end of military funerals at the end of the life of a military serviceman. We played it this morning to honor all veterans and their family members.”
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