America is the land of opportunity and a beacon of hope and freedom because our Soldiers, Sailors, Marines, Airmen, and Coast Guardsmen have fought valiantly to defeat tyranny and terror, and to protect the liberties we hold most dear.
It is this truth that helped form the Orange County Veterans Memorial committee in 2016. A land donation and seed dollars from Orange County government helped to get the committee started on building the County’s first Veterans Memorial, outside of the memorials on campus. The University of North Carolina pays homage to Veterans through several monuments and displays on campus, including Memorial Hall and North Carolina Memorial Hospital, created after WWII.
Locals Giving Back
The military service of the Orange County committee varies from years served in the U.S. Navy, Air Force, and Army, as well as participation in the wars in Vietnam and Korea and World War II and Iwo Jima. They include: Bruce Runberg, David Chandler; Bud Hampton, Lee Heavlin, Jim Merritt, Sheriff Charles Blackwood, Fred Black, Edward H Gill, Allen Buansi, Amber Mathwig, Renee Price, Todd McGee, Barbara Foushee, Jeff Thompson, Francine Scott and Jim Parise.
Veterans committee members Ed Gill (center) and Bud Hampton (right) were invited to speak at the 535th Military Police Battalion Ball in Louisberg, NC. Ed served in Vietnam. His dad, a Marine, was killed in combat on Iwo Jima on March 6, 1945. Bud Hampton survived.
Major Everett “Bud” Hampton
Every member of the committee has an important story to tell. Major Everett “Bud” Hampton, USMC, Retired was eloquent in a recent talk he shared about his service.
“In January 1945, my Division sailed for the island of Iwo Jima. Since our Battalion was the first wave at Saipan and Tinian, we were to land in reserve on Iwo Jima.
The Japanese had everything underground on this island. There were many caves with several openings for each. One cave on Mt. Suribachi was seven stories deep. General Kuribayashi had this island zeroed in for every square yard and had ordered every man to stay in his position and to kill ten enemy before dying. It took 36 days for the Marines to take this 8 square mile island. There were over 22,000 casualties.
My company landed with ten officers at about 1:00 pm on D-Day, 19 February 1945.”
Hampton and Orange County resident Ed Gill recently represented Orange County veterans at a Military Ball hosted by the 353rd Military Police Battalion.
The Ultimate Service
“Through this Orange County Memorial, we want to remember those who protected our nation by creating a memorial that will honor their service and sacrifice,” said Jim Merritt, also a committee co-chairman, former Chapel Hill Town Council member and Vietnam Veteran. “It’s a way for our community to say we are proud of the service these veterans provided.”
Goals & Completion Dates
Bruce Runberg, the co-chairperson of the Veterans Memorial Committee and a veteran of the Vietnam War, said the total project cost estimate is $500,000, 80 percent of which will go towards hard costs and 20 percent of which will go towards an endowment to care for the site. It is expected that the Memorial will be finished in 2022.
Runberg said the group is now working with local construction company C.T. Wilson to complete the next phase.
CT Wilson Construction Company is a third-generation, family-owned commercial general contractor located in Durham. Charles T. Wilson, Sr. organized CT Wilson Construction in 1952 to provide personalized construction services throughout North Carolina.
Charles “Chuck” T. Wilson, Jr. joined his father in 1969 after serving in the United States Navy and completing his Master’s Degree in Construction Engineering at NC State University. Charles “Charlie” T. Wilson, III graduated from NC State University in 1993 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Construction Engineering and finished a Master’s Degree at the University of Texas at Austin. Charlie became President in 2016.
Bruce Runberg
Progress to Date:
- The memorial, located on Homestead Road in Chapel Hill, has already gone through Phase I of a five-phase construction process. Several gravel trails were paved and a temporary kiosk and flagpole were erected.
- The site was dedicated on Veterans Day, November 11, 2016. Groundbreaking took place on Memorial Day 2017, and a Flag Plaza dedication service was held on Memorial Day 2018.
- The Carrboro Board of Aldermen recently voted April 16 to devote $25,000 to support the construction of the Orange County Veterans Memorial.
Lee Heavlin with the Veterans Memorial Design
Ways to Help:
- Donations can be made online to the Orange County Community Giving Fund
- Checks can be sent to: Orange County Community Giving Fund, Financial Services, PO Box 8181, Hillsborough, NC 27278. Checks should indicate the gift is for the Veterans Memorial.
- Families also can recognize their loved ones through memorial naming opportunities. More information is available at www.ocveteransmemorial.com.
- Some like to memorialize a family member, friend, or veterans group. The memorial walkways will provide this opportunity. Engraved pavers are 4″ × 8″ and 8″ × 8″ in size and cost $100 and $200, respectively.
It’s fitting that Chapel Hill and Orange County are working together to honor veterans. From its very beginnings, veterans have been a part of who we’ve become: the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill’s founder and first president, William Richardson Davie, was a veteran of the Revolutionary War. Orange County is a community that was built on the belief that we are stronger together, and veterans are the very best examples of what that strength has done, and can do.
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