7 things to know about planned Gold Star Families Memorial

May 30—MANTORVILLE — When Dave Swenson visited a Gold Star Family Memorial in Reno, Nev., he left with a single thought.

"We're doing this, right?" Scott Eggert remembers his friend asking as they headed home from a golf tournament honoring a Marine who had served with Swenson's son.

Swenson, who's son, Cpl. Curtis Swenson, was killed April 2, 2010, in Afghanistan, said he knows how much such a memorial can mean for families left behind.

Nearly two years after the Reno trip, approximately 40 people gathered Saturday morning outside the Dodge County Government Services building in Mantorville to break ground on the first memorial of its kind in Minnesota.

Swenson and Eggert are serving as co-chairmen of the committee that helped make it happen.

Scott's wife, Kay, said Saturday that the monument is a tribute to the families who deal with a never-ending loss and dedication to the remembrance of a service member.

"This monument will be a place to gather and remember loved ones," she said.

Here's a few things to know about the monument:

1. Eighty-three similar monuments are installed throughout the nation.

Another 76 monuments are in the process of being installed, according to the Hershel "Woody" Williams Medal of Honor Foundation, which seeks to honor Gold Star families, those who had relatives die in military service.

Williams, a former U.S. Marine who served in the Battle of Iwo Jima and earned the Medal of Honor, established a nonprofit in 2010 with the goal of having one Gold Star Families Memorial monument in each state. Williams, 97, is the last living recipient of the Medal of Honor from World War II.

2. The front of each monument is identical.

The black granite monuments feature a cutout depicting a soldier saluting the flag behind the monument. In the case of the Mantorville monument, the front will face the intersection of North Main Street and Seventh Street.

Words etched into the granite note the monument is a tribute to Gold Star families.

3. The other side of the monument can be customized.

The back of the monument, which will face the government services building, features the words "homeland," "family," "patriot" and "sacrifice," with photos etched into the granite.

Teresa Czaplewski, a committee board member, said the photos are being selected by the local group. They will be black and white, with the only allowed color being in the American flag.

4. The monument will be a gathering place.

The local group is adding granite benches and landscaping to the site, which will create a circle on the backside of the curved monument.

"We are trying to make it a circle, like an embrace, so when families are there, they will feel that embrace," Czaplewski said.

5. The site was donated.

Dave Swenson said the committee was looking for a monument site when one of the committee members suggested the Mantorville location.

The request to Dodge County Commissioners was met with the site being donated for the monument.

Eggert said the location provides access to many families.

"This is going to be something everyone in southern Minnesota can enjoy," he said.

6. Fundraising continues.

Eggert said the cost of the monument and a perpetual care fund is estimated at $70,000, and the committee has approximately $20,000 left to raise.

Donations can be made through an online link at https://woodywilliams.org/monuments/mantorville-mn.html or by contacting a board member listed on the website.

Eggert said the group plans to raise additional funds, if needed, to ensure maintenance costs are covered.

7. Dedication is planned for Gold Star Mothers Day

Barring any construction conflicts, Eggert said the plan calls for dedicating the monument on Sept. 26, a day that recognizes and honors mothers who have lost a son or daughter in the service of the U.S. Armed Forces.