Newberry Township honors hometown heroes with new veterans memorial

New veterans memorial dedicated in Newberry Township | fox43.com

Monday's dedication ceremony brought dozens of community members together to honor those who have served.

 

Author: Alyssa Kratz

Published: 3:23 PM EST November 11, 2024

Updated: 3:23 PM EST November 11, 2024

YORK COUNTY, Pa. — Monday was a day of honoring and thanking the brave men and women who have served our country and whose service helped America pave its way through history.

What started as a social media post for Dominish Miller is now a reality in her small town.

“When you do these things you’re not sure how they’re going to go over but everyone has been so supportive and seeing something you’ve worked on for six months straight really come to fruition, it feels so good," said Miller, who is a part of the Newberrytown Special Events Committee and the founder of the "Preserving The History of Newberry Township" Facebook group.

The local historian wanted to pay tribute to veterans of Newberry Township in place of a former memorial which no longer exists.

She posted about it on Facebook and ended up garnering a lot of interest.

“They’re giving the ultimate sacrifice and even if they come home, they’re dealing with PTSD and the after-effects of war so I think as a community it’s really important we honor our veterans and help them transition back into civilian life and support them," Miller said. 

A brick walkway on the grounds of the township’s emergency services complex now leads to a special evergreen tree.

Each brick is etched with the name of a person from Newberry Township who served.

Monday’s dedication ceremony brought dozens together, including Rep. Elect Marc Anderson, who is a veteran himself.

“For veterans, these kinds of events need to go on more than just on Veterans Day," he said. "They deserve more than one day.”

It’s a project which is also the definition of a true community effort.

“People from the community started showing up and saying ‘I have the talent to be able to lay the bricks, I’ll do it for free,’ ‘I can give you mulch, I can give you flowers,’ and it just went from there," said Miller.

It's also something that will last for generations to come.

“Seeing local people rally around their own veterans and understand the sacrifice they’ve given to provide them with freedom and liberty is very inspiring and I think it is closer to home when it’s some of your own," said Rep. Elect Anderson.