June 21, 2019: Military Appreciation Night at Arvest Ballpark

Our first fundraiser was a huge success! It was a beautiful night to spend celebrating our freedom with men and women who graciously defend us all. The first pitch was thrown by Billie Bodiford. Billie was born on February 21, 1928 in West Station, Texas. He joined the military on December 8, 1950. He was a soldier in the Korean War. Thank you for your service, Billie!

Billie is pictured with our president, Jannie Layne.

Billie is pictured with our president, Jannie Layne.

Colonel Jeff Vinger's response to this question: I’ve found most military veterans to be pretty humble people, so why would you want to build a memorial?

For those of us that have been in the military, it is sometimes difficult to express our deep sense of pride and what we consider, our warfighter ethos or spirit. This is a kindred spirit that we share with other veterans that may not have shared our exact experiences, but we are bonded together with a special connection through our common struggles in earning the title of Airman, Soldier, Seaman, Marine, Seal, Ranger, or others. With that pride, however, comes a great deal of humility as we all eventually must leave the military that has trained us to be aggressive, assertive and proud; and return to civilian life assuming other careers. Our common training teaches us that greatness is not about us as individuals. Rather it is about us a unit, as a team, as a group, as a community, as a city, as a county, as a state, as a nation. This is why we have come together as a group to foster a cause for our community that not only memorializes the greatness of the past, but will symbolize the greatness of our community into the future. This effort is not about those of us involved, rather it is about our community and its future. Memorials are more complicated than just a monument with a plaque. Memorials generate a multitude of different emotions, memories, symbols and meanings for individuals whether they served or not. It is our vision to establish such a memorial that will further enhance the appearance of JB Hunt Park, increase its draw, function and utility for our community year-round. We wish to see a dedicated site that will provide our community a prominent, inspirational and befitting space to gather and express our pride, our patriotism, our greatness as a community and our hopes for the future. We seek a memorial with a uniqueness unto its own that will inspire not only the citizenry of Springdale, but inspire others to travel and seek out our proud city. We seek a memorial that will have both a commemorative and an educational function, honoring those that gave their all for the American idea and reminding the living of past sacrifices given to achieve and maintain the American idea of freedom and hope for the future.

Family Veteran Freedom Festival, May 25th, 2019

The Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Auxiliary Post 2952 hosted its 2nd annual festival on Shiloh Square on Emma Street. This family-friendly event celebrated the American freedoms we enjoy and featured food, music, military vehicles, and networking for many veteran services in our region.

Matt Mendenhall (Treasurer) sharing information about our organization and our goals.

Matt Mendenhall (Treasurer) sharing information about our organization and our goals.