Construction begins at new veterans memorial in Ave Maria

A ground-breaking in Ave Maria on Monday morning took place for a new veteran’s memorial.

It’ll be located two blocks north of the catholic church along Ave Maria Boulevard.

The monument will be circular, about 60 feet across with flags around the perimeter, representing each of the six military branches.

An American flag will be in the center.

At the back, a marble wall with a dedication to our service members. Facing the American flag and the wall will be a stainless steel silhouette of a service member in reflection.

On Monday, the Ave Maria community celebrated what’s to come.

The construction is headed up bu the Ave Maria Veterans Association.

Vice President Tom Schlessinger said the project is 4.5 years in the making.

“We’ve put in thousands of hours getting ready for this. And so, for me, it’s going to be really exciting when they start doing the grading and start getting ready to pour the concrete and actually building the memorial because up until now it’s all been you know, we’ve talked about it. We’ve encouraged people about it, and actually seeing it go up is going to be excellent. We’re going to really enjoy that,” Schlessinger said.

The dedication for the monument is planned for Veteran’s Day.