The Veterans Affairs Committee at ETSU will be honoring veterans with the Phase II Dedication of the ETSU Army ROTC and Veterans’ Memorial in front of Brooks Gym on Veterans Day, Thursday at 3 p.m.
Phase I of the project started about three years ago when five flagpoles were installed in front of Brooks Gym. “A combination of three years of planning and hard work went into this,” said Larry Coleman, chairman of the Veteran Affairs Committee. “We managed to raise about $20, 000.”
Phase II will involve the completion of the memorial. This includes a sixth flagpole, which was installed to fly the MIA/POW flag, and new spotlighting so that each flagpole can be viewed at night as well as during the day.
An Army/ROTC monument has been installed and on the front there is a bronze replica of the ROTC badge.
This new monument set up outside Brooks Gym will include the names of 10 men who graduated from ETSU and were killed in combat in the Vietnam and Persian Gulf wars.
Also, Phase II includes individual paver sidewalk bricks to honor all ETSU students, faculty, or staff who are currently serving on active duty or those who are veterans not on duty. “There are about 40 students, faculty and staff on active duty in Iraq, none have been killed in combat, with the exception of one being killed in a tragic accident,” Coleman said
There is still room for some 2,000 or more bricks. The ETSU and Veterans Affairs will continue to sell bricks for $30 per brick. Initially bricks cost about $24 per brick but ETSU is donating the remaining $6 for upkeep of the memorial.
To receive an application for a brick, call Larry Coleman at 439-6331. Donations are still needed to set up a fund for the maintenance and to also pay for the cost of the memorial. A donation in the form of a check or money order may be sent to the ETSU Foundation, Box 70732, Johnson City, Tenn., 37614.

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