Veterans deserve a prominent place in Libby's showcase park

When a group of veterans in Lincoln County started making plans to build a memorial at Riverfront Park, they thought their biggest challenge would be raising enough money to pay for the project. They had no idea that they would face resistance from community leaders.

The veterans didn’t anticipate any problems getting approval from the Libby Park Committee or the City Council because no public money would be used to build the memorial. All of the money would be raised privately.

The veterans believed Libby residents would be proud to dedicate a small portion of public land to honor the service of members of the military who had sacrificed their lives to keep our country free. After all, these brave soldiers are the sole reason we still have public land in the United States.

The veterans also expected that contributing a memorial would enhance Riverfront Park, not detract from it, because it would become known as a place where veterans from all over the region could visit and pay respect to their brothers and sisters at arms.

In short, they thought the people of Libby would welcome a chance to show their appreciation to the soldiers, Marines, sailors and airmen who risked everything – some gave everything – to ensure that this country would remain a bright beacon of freedom to the rest of the world.

The veterans may have correctly assessed the values of regular folks in Libby, but it appears they misjudged the willingness of Libby’s elected officials to support their project.

So far, local elected officials have managed to frustrate a group of people that this country has vowed to honor above all others. And the timing couldn’t have been worse, as the efforts to get approval for the memorial stalled in the weeks leading up to Veterans Day.

The Park Committee met with the veterans earlier this month to inform them that the memorial would not be allowed a prominent place at Riverfront Park. Committee members instead offered less-attractive pieces of land in the park, near the railroad tracks and along the park’s outer edges, which would provide “a more intimate setting for the memorial,” as one Park Committee member put it.

The Park Committee took it one step further by explaining that the veterans’ chosen location for the memorial was “inconsistent” with the vision for Riverfront Park. They said they wanted to maintain a large “green space” in the park for weddings, special events and recreation.

The Park Committee even enlisted a Kalispell-based architectural firm to redesign the veterans memorial, without asking the veterans for their input. Nevermind that the veterans had already spent five months designing their own memorial at their own expense.

These developments are troubling for several reasons. 

Preserving green space is a great idea in urban areas such as New York City, Los Angeles and Phoenix. After all, so much land in those cities has been developed into parking lots, streets and jungles of tall buildings. But we here in Libby have nothing but green space. The beauty of this place is that it hasn’t been overly developed. What harm would it cause to allow our military veterans to use some of our abundant green space for their memorial?

It’s also troubling that our elected officials may be ignoring the will of the people and instead focusing on their own agendas with regard to public land. One of the defining characteristics of rural America is a deep sense of patriotism and an understanding that military veterans deserve any honor we could give them. It’s a safe bet that most people in Libby would support giving the veterans a choice as to a location for the memorial.

As it stands now, the Park Committee may lose a chance to host the veterans memorial at Riverfront Park. And the City Council’s hesitation to provide guidance on these matters has further alienated the veterans in our community. Let’s all hope the veterans continue to rally support for their cause instead of walking away from this project altogether.

There have been times in our nation’s history when the American people have failed to pay our veterans the proper respect for their sacrifices on the battlefield. Many of the veterans living today remember coming home from Vietnam to a country that in some cases seemed ungrateful. Many of them still live with that bitterness today.

Let’s not make that mistake again.

It would be far too bold for me to tell you what action to take. If you want Riverfront Park to retain its green space, then you should make your voice heard. That is your right and your duty. But if you think a memorial to veterans should be the centerpiece of the park, then you should stand up now with the veterans of this community and make your desires known to our elected officials.

Soldiers have risen up countless times when Americans needed them. Now they need us. And what they are asking for is a small sacrifice by comparison. 

-Matt Bunk is publisher of The Western News.