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The youthful faces look back from the Remembering Our Fallen towers, a mix of uniformed portraits and smiling snapshots of more than 5,000 lives cut short by the long wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

One tower in the traveling monument to America's post-9/11 military dead looks slightly different, the photos arrayed on a deep blue background instead of white.

The blue-backed pictures are of 183 young men and women who returned from battlefield deployments to hugs and kisses from relieved parents and spouses and kids then weeks or months or years later, suffering from often invisible pain, they took their own lives.

The monuments creators, Bill and Evonne Williams of Patriotic Productions,call it the PTS tower, for post-traumatic stress. They dont use the word suicide.

Its heartbreaking to look at that tower, Bill Williams said. All of them are hard, but that one is the hardest.

Tom and Donna Nicholson of Gretna saw the towers again at the event this past weekend in Omahas Old Market, and they know that feeling well. Their son, Marine Capt. Kevin Nicholson who died Sept. 2, 2014, after four deployments to Afghanistan in five years is on the blue tower.

To see all the faces, the beautiful-looking people, Donna said. I think, What a loss. What a waste.

Remembering Our Fallen is one of the few war memorials that honors warriors who succumbed to PTS alongside those who died on the battlefield.

Candy Martin, former president of American Gold Star Mothers, is an Army veteran whose son was killed in combat in Iraq in 2007. She agrees that those who died of PTS deserve recognition, too.

We recognize that they died in service, or as a result of service, said Martin, who marched in Omahas Memorial Day parade Friday, along with the Nicholsons. Its not how your child died. We focus on continuing the service that their sons and daughters didnt finish.

We recognize that they died in service, or as a result of service, said Candy Martin, who marched in Omahas Memorial Day parade Friday, along with the Nicholsons. Its not how your child died. We focus on continuing the service that their sons and daughters didnt finish.

During the 2010s, the Williamses had created 14 traveling memorials for individual states with portraits of those killed in post-9/11 combat. From time to time, Evonne Williams said, they would get queries from Gold Star parents about including their sons and daughters who died of PTS.

When they created the national Remembering Our Fallen memorial towers in 2017, they created panels for PTS deaths as well as deaths in training accidents.

The top of the first blue panel describes post-traumatic stress: Debilitating anxiety occurring after experiencing or witnessing a traumatic event; symptoms can include flashbacks, emotional detachment and jumpiness; bio-chemical changes in the brain and body.

Ross Wimer, 32, of Omaha served four years in the Marine Corps and deployed with the 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment famous as the Darkhorse battalion during a brutal 2010-11 deployment to Afghanistans Sangin province. The unit lost 25 dead and had 200 wounded, a higher rate than any other unit during the war.

Many Darkhorse veterans, Wimer said, have been afflicted with survivors guilt. Over the years, suicides have mounted.

Ive honestly lost count, he said.

Members of his unit reach out to one another for buddy checks, an informal way to keep tabs on fellow veterans who may be in trouble.

Wimer does see a distinction between those who died in battle and those who died later, at home, but only a slight one. Hes glad the Remembering Our Fallen towers recognize both types of casualties of war.

Its great that Bill and Evonne are doing this, he said. Their heads are in the right place.

The Williamses do not contact families of veterans who have taken their own lives because suicide remains a highly sensitive topic, but they will add the names and photos of those who died from the effects of PTS if families request them. Six of the deceased on the PTS panels are from Nebraska.

To be included in the memorial, the veteran must have served after Sept. 11, 2001, and they must have served in a combat zone.

They get lost. Their service feels like it does not count, Evonne Williams said. They deserve this.

Last years Department of Veterans Affairs annual suicide prevention report counted 6,435 veterans who took their own lives in 2018, the latest year for which statistics were available.

The numbers have risen about 6% since the Department of Veteran Affairs started counting suicides in 2005 an unhappy trend, but a far smaller increase than the 47% increase in all adult suicides in the U.S. during the same period.

In the years since, there have been aggressive campaigns by both the military and the VA to prevent suicides, and to make it easier for veterans to receive treatment for post-traumatic stress.

Still, in 2018 veterans were slightly more likely than other Americans to die by their own hand. Veterans represented 8% of the U.S. adult population but 13% of the suicides.

Well over half of the veteran suicides last year were among vets over age 55. The 18-34 age group had the smallest number of suicides (874) but the highest rate.

Tom and Donna Nicholson had no idea the pain Kevin was in when he visited them in July 2014 for what turned out to be the last time.

We were glad to have him home. We tried to do special things, Donna said.

He was only 31. They didnt see it coming.

Over the years, he had grown more subdued compared with the cheerful youth Donna described as very independent, very smart. He was active in their church and liked to memorize Bible verses, and he built models and rockets in 4-H.

Kevin graduated from high school in 2001, attending Kansas State and the University of Nebraska-Lincolnbefore transferring to the University of Nebraska at Omaha and graduating in 2007.

While at UNO, he became interested in the military and joined the Marines. He arrived as the Corps ramped up its operational tempo to support two simultaneous wars. He deployed for seven months to Afghanistan, then came home for 12 months before returning to the theater four cycles in five years.

He was pretty proud of what he did, but he never talked about it, Tom Nicholson said. They felt awkward asking, so typically they didnt.

As the deployments ground on, Donna noticed Kevin seemed distant.

I noticed changes in his eyes. There was something about his stare, she recalled.

Donna called him in mid-August 2014, just to visit. She asked him what kind of things he would like her to include in the next care package she sent him.

The conversation still disturbs her.

He just told me, I always send him junk, she said. It was hurtful I dont think he really meant it. I think he was not in a good place.

Two weeks later, the doorbell rang at the Nicholsons' Gretna home about 6 oclock one evening. Donna answered.

Three men in uniform stood on the porch.

Donna knew instantly what that meant, but she was confused. Kevin was at home in North Carolina, not in Afghanistan. She shouted her husbands name.

I knew something was wrong, Tom said.

The rest hurts too much to talk about. Tom remembers numb shock, a sense of going through the motions while planning a burial.

That was the worst week of my life, Donna said.

Learning how Kevin died hurt. It left questions, but they drew support from family and friends, and their church.

I called our siblings and others and told them what happened, Tom said. You cant just pretend he fell out of a tree.

The sun sets over headstones at Omaha National Cemetery.

They came to accept that their son suffered invisible wounds, devastating ones.

Bodies get injured arms, legs. The brain gets injured, too. You just cant see it, Tom said. You dont find out some things until its too late.

The Nicholsons also found comfort in support groups like the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), which has special groups for those whose loved ones took their own lives.

It helps being with other families who know what theyve gone through, and to tell his story. They were happy to join in Fridays Memorial Day event, which included a concert, parade and giveaways.

I just try to focus on things that bring happiness, Donna said. I dont think theres anything wrong with being happy.

The way Kevins life ended, Tom said, Is just a small part of a big picture. Id like to think that its not the biggest part of the picture.

I look at all the good he did. He served our country, Tom added. What more would he have done?

Kevin Nicholsons picture is right there on the first of the blue panels, in the top row.

One photo shows him in full battle rattle at a base in Afghanistan, eyes hidden behind dark shades and a gloved hand resting casually on the grip of his M-16 rifle. In the other hes standing in a driveway, dressed in polo and khakis.

In neither picture does he smile.

But above Kevins photos is a message:

May these Warriors, at last, Rest in Peace.

The number for the National Suicide Prevention Hotline is 1-800-273-8255.If you are a veteran in crisis, or a person concerned about a veteran in crisis, dial the number and press 1 to connect with the veteran crisis line, available 24 hours a day. Additional information can be found at http://www.veteranscrisisline.net.

U.S. Army

Highest rank achieved: Specialist 4

Years in service: 1968-1969

Where served: Phuoc Vinh, Vietnam

U.S. Army

Highest rank achieved: Specialist 4

Years in service: 1968-1970

Where served: Vietnam

U.S. Navy

Highest rank achieved: Chief Petty Officer electricians mate

Years in service: 1940-1946

Where served: Pearl Harbor survivor, Asiatic Pacific, Bikini Atoll

U.S. Army

Highest rank achieved: T-5 Corporal

Years in service: 1943-1945

Where served: Pacific theater

U.S. Air Force

Highest rank achieved: Major

Years in service: 20

Where served: Thailand, England, Panama

U.S. Army

Highest rank achieved: Army Transport Able-Bodied Seaman/Corporal

Years in service: 1944-1946 and 1950-1952

Where served: England, Germany, France during WWII; Okinawa, Japan, during Korean War

U.S. Navy

Highest rank achieved: Seaman 1st Class

Years in service: 3 years

U.S. Air Force

Highest rank achieved: Technical Sergeant

Years in service: 1972-1992

Where served: Osan Air Base, South Korea

U.S. Army

Highest rank achieved: Sergeant

Years in service: 1970-1972

Where served: Vietnam

U.S. Army

Highest rank achieved: Colonel

Years in service: 30

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Traveling war memorial honors veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan who died by suicide - Fremont Tribune

Gold Star family honors memories of soldier son killed in removal of deadly IEDs.

BUFFALO, N.Y. This particular Memorial Day in 2021 carries even more meaning for Gold Star families who lost loved ones during their military service in Afghanistan. That is because US troops, who first entered that country after 9/11 20 years ago, are set to withdraw under President Biden's order by a deadline of this September 11th.

The New York Times now reports that the timetable for that pullout has been accelerated and may be completed by early July.

2 On Your Side spoke with the family of a Western New York soldier who died there and a fellow veteran for their perspectives on this pullout after two decades of combat in that still troubled part of southern Asia.

In the Monuments Garden at the Buffalo Naval and Military Park it's known to some as the "A and the I" - Afghanistan and Iraq Memorial.

David and Kim Whipple know it as a place to honor Blake, their 21-year-old son, who was a fun-loving, generous Williamsville East grad who once gave a coveted Backstreet Boys concert ticket to a sick classmate.

David Whipple described his son this way, "He had a smile that really would lighten up a room."

But Blake also stunned his parents in 2009 with a very serious decision to enlist in the Army. "He said 'I just felt like I wanted to do something that's bigger than myself.' And this was a good way to serve our country."

After training Army Specialist Blake Whipple of the US Army's Tenth Mountain Infantry Division at Fort Drum was deployed to Afghanistan's Ghazni Province.

He was able to speak briefly with his parents after arriving at his base in Afghanistan. Whipple recalls, "What he said was it is so amazing. He said this is such a beautiful country and yet so dangerous."

And now he was given a dangerous assignment. Whipple was tabbed as a combat engineer who could help with construction projects. But he was also assigned to a "sapper" unit clearing IEDs or improvised explosive devices set by the Taliban for a roadside ambush.

David Whipple and his wife Kimberly remember discussing it with their son.

"We asked him 'route clearance' is that what we think it is? He goes 'yeah - those guys go out and find the IEDs," David Whipple said. "And uh... I remember both my wife and I were just - took our breath away. Because we knew it was so far away from what we thought he would be doing and we knew how dangerous it was."

Whipple says his son simply responded this way.

"He said look - it's my job and um.. the country needs me to do it and I'm goin over there and I'm gonna do my job."

Whipple added, "The thing that hits you right in the face is the kid that just left not that long ago from home is now a man and a warrior. And couldn't be prouder of him."

On November 5, 2010 Specialist Whipple died as an IED exploded as he tried to dismantle it. His dad now reflects this way, "I think it's always about wanting to do something that was rewarding, that was bigger than himself and something that was helping not only himself but the country."

So now with US troops withdrawing from Afghanistan, the Whipples are pleased the troops won't be at risk there any longer. But there's that question to a family who lost their son there - was it worth it?

David Whipple points out, "They helped the people out and they made a difference in their lives. And I do think it was worth it. And do I get a little concerned about the withdrawal - I do. Because I still think that the Taliban and those have the ability to do harm."

Then the view of an Iraq war veteran who with his daughters last week cleaned the 'A and the I' with reverence. Dan Frontera, who helped build the memorial and knows those Gold Star families says it is time for our troops to come home, but he recalls that Afghanistan mission had a double purpose.

"To push back the Taliban, to get Osama Bin Laden," Frontera said. "But they also established schools, they built roads, and they educated children - educated little girls who were not allowed to be educated. So our presence - will always be there. And the presence of Afghanistan will always be with every single one of the troops, every one of these families who was there."

Read more:
Memorial Day reflections as US pulls troops from Afghanistan after 20 year mission following 9/11 - WGRZ.com

After more than 40 years of conflict driven by local, regional and supra-regional interests it is only fair that the people of Afghanistan finally achieve lasting peace and escape the poverty that affects more than 80 per cent of the population. The current situation in Afghanistan is challenging and the prospects of peace remain distant. But many including those here in Pakistan are willing to take some risks to promote a negotiated political settlement between the government of the Republic and the Taliban. Both sides will ultimately have to make concessions in the interest of peace and security in Afghanistan.

Looking at the necessary elements for a lasting peace in the war-ravaged country, I deem there to be one which merits particular attention: the pursuit of a neutral Afghanistan, a proposition that may very well be a prerequisite for security and stability in the country. Here, I cannot help but remember what happened in the heart of Europe after Napoleons defeat, when in 1815, at the Congress of Vienna, the map of Europe was redrawn. For more than 15 years, Switzerland had been occupied by the young French Republic and eventually absorbed into the Napoleons Empire. Hence, the victorious anti-France Alliance wanted to avoid new problems from arising in this strategic region holding the Alpine passes. The aim was to ensure that Switzerland would no longer take sides in any future conflicts between its neighbours, and that its territory would not be used to harm any other country.

Moreover, when the Great Powers at the Congress of Vienna formalised Switzerlands permanent neutrality which had already been a longstanding, self-declared practice for centuries they also undertook to respect it: active neutrality on the one hand, and a guarantee of its respect by the regional players (Austria, France, Great Britain, Prussia, Russia, etc) on the other. So when looking for a solution for peace in Afghanistan, isnt it a good time to also reflect on this historical example?

However, what would this mean for Afghanistan? To begin with, all Afghan parties to the conflict should ensure that Afghanistan and its local components will not take sides in disputes between their neighbours for instance, between Pakistan and India or between China and India. But, above all, it implies a commitment by the regional powers and the international community to not interfere in Afghanistans internal affairs anymore. This commitment could manifest itself in the shape of a solemn declaration by all states in the region as well as the permanent members of the United Nations Security Council to guarantee the territorial integrity and the neutrality of Afghanistan.

The realisation of a neutral Afghanistan may be a painstakingly long process. Nevertheless, based on our own experience in Switzerland, this is quite a successful formula that could perhaps also benefit the aspired peace in Afghanistan. Bear in mind, Afghanistan has followed a policy of neutrality in the past, notably from the late 19th century until the mid-20th century.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 2nd, 2021.

Like Opinion & Editorial on Facebook, follow @ETOpEd on Twitter to receive all updates on all our daily pieces.

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Pursuit of a neutral Afghanistan: the Swiss way - The Express Tribune

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It was a graduation gift from his mother, a chance to skydive.

Quinn Johnson-Harris of Milwaukee made that first jump anddeclared: "I'm going to live in the sky."

And he did, joining the U.S. Air Force after graduating from Homestead High School, carving out a career and a calling, visiting 17 countries as he served his nation,just like his brothers and grandfather.

On Oct. 2, 2015, Johnson-Harris, an aircraft loadmaster,was ona C-130J Super Hercules plane that took offfrom Jalalabad Airfield, Afghanistan.

The flight lasted 28 seconds. There was a stall. The plane crashed, killing all 11 people on board, and three otherson the ground.

Quinn was 21.

A photo of Quinn Johnson-Harris, who was killed in Afghanistan on Oct. 2, 2015, is seen at his fathers house on Monday, May 24, 2021 in Milwaukee.(Photo: Angela Peterson / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

Think of Quinn Johnson-Harris and his family on this Memorial Day weekend, as we mark a holiday suffused with sadness and reverence.

We remember those in the military who gave their lives defending the country. And this yearespecially,we recall sacrifices made in Afghanistan.

More than 3,100 members of the U.S. military have died in Afghanistan since 2001, including more than than 30 Wisconsinites.

"It's time to end America's longest war,"President Joe Biden declared in April when he orderedthe withdrawal of all remaining U.S. forces in Afghanistan by Sept. 11, 2021.

"We went to Afghanistan in 2001 to root out al Qaeda, to prevent future terrorist attacks against the United States planned from Afghanistan," Biden said. "Our objective was clear.The cause was just."

Families of the fallen, and veterans of the war, are left with their own reflections on their sacrifice and their service.

Yvette and LaMar HarrisSr. remember their son Quinn every day. His laugh, his smile and his exuberance. He's buried in Arlington National Cemetery. Yvette is raising his daughter and says the little girl looks just like him.

Yvette, a nurse, wears a button that shows her son's smiling face. LaMar, a retired operating engineer, has a tattoo on his left arm that honors his son.

They're divorced. But they retain a strongbond.

The military ties run deep in the family.

LaMar Harris, the father of Quinn Johnson-Harris who was killed in Afghanistan, holds a framed photo of the other airmen who were killed in the aircraft with his son on Oct. 2, 2015.(Photo: Angela Peterson / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

Yvette's father was a Marine. When he died, her sons stood, saluted his casket and promised to serve in his honor.

There was Jeremy, who served in the Marines and passed away in a motorcycle accident in Indianapolis shortly before the first anniversary of his brother's death.

LaMar Jr. is a West Point graduate who is a U.S. Army captain in the Special Forces.

LaMar's stepson, Christopher Schaffer, just graduated from U.S. Army Ranger School.

And, of course, there was Quinn.

Yvette and LaMar wrestle with the war in Afghanistan.

LaMar said he agreed with the war's aims to help Afghanistan and the Afghan people.

"You don't want to lose loved ones, but any war you're going to lose loved ones," he said. "And they know when they sign that paper to defend the country, there's a possibility they may not come home."

"Our kids don't go in there and say, 'I want to fight and die,'" Yvette said. "Our kids go in there and say I want to serve this country. And because we are America and we're free and we have rights that so many people don't have, when we see suppressed people in the world, we go to help rescue them.

"Our purpose was to keep the Taliban at bay," she added. "And we did that, we did that very well."

The family suffered terrible loss.

"We just wake up every morning, knowing your child gave all he wanted to give to help other people," LaMarsaid.

"My heart as a mother, yeah, I wish we would have pulled out sooner," Yvette said. "But if this is your job, I actually put it on Facebook the day my kid left, anybody who wants a yellow ribbon to tie around a tree, come get it from me. You never think it's going to be you, people knocking on the door (to deliver news from overseas) but what keeps us free are the people who are selfless and serving.

"We gave," she added. "I've given a lot. And what I wish is that people in America don't forget. I don't want anybody to forget what my son did for us. I don't want them to forget his sacrifice for our nation."

Chris Kolenda, a retired U.S. Army colonel now living in Milwaukee, served fourcombat tours in Afghanistan. In 2008, Biden, then a U.S. senator, visited Kolenda's main outpost in the Kunar River Valley in eastern Afghanistan.

Chris Kolenda poses for a portrait Wednesday, May 19, 2021, at his home in Milwaukee. Kolenda is a retired colonel who did several tours in Afghanistan. Kolenda has received many awards and medals during his time.(Photo: Ebony Cox / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

After the visit, Kolenda received a letter from Biden that said: "No matter how many PowerPoints one may view, there is no substitute for being able to get out to a Forward Operating Base and get some ground-truth."

Kolenda's memories of Afghanistan are vivid.

"The absolute beauty of the country, the kindness of the people, the joy on kids' faces," he said.

But there are other, darker memories. During his tour, six soldiers he commanded died in combat.

"I think of my six soldiers, their faces, their families," he said.

Next summer, he plans a bicycle trip to honor those men in the places where they are buried, a journey that will take him from Nebraska to Arlington, Virginia.

He can still hear the boom of a rocket-propelled grenade that took the life of Maj. Tom Bostick, July 27, 2007. For his actions, putting himself between enemy fighters and his troops, Bostick received the Distinguished Service Cross, the nation's second highest medal for combat valor.

Chris Kolenda points to Afghanistan on a map Wednesday, May 19, 2021, in Milwaukee. That is the location where his captain died.(Photo: Ebony Cox / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

Ask Kolenda what he would tell families who lost loved ones in the long war, and he said: "The question you ask is very difficult because you don't have the sort of war that ends with a ticker-tape parade down 5th Avenue in New York, or with a big surrender ceremony. That's not how these wars typically end."

There may be a lack of closure, he said, but at the same time, "soldiers were fighting alongside the people that they trained with, that they were friends with, and ultimately when you get in a firefight soldiers are fighting for one another, to protect one another. They all did that."

Kolenda agreed with the decision to end American involvement in the war. There are many ways the future may play out as the Afghan government and Taliban struggle for power and control.

"My thinking has evolved on this over the last 10 years," he said. "I think our presence at 2,500 soldiers, it was doing very little good and it was encouraging the worst behavior on the part of the key actors. So, peace hasn't been possible with our troops present. It might be possible with our troops no longer there and creating these perverse incentives."

Kolenda, who has authored a book called "Zero-Sum Victory: What We're Getting Wrong About War," said the U.S. is in need of national security reform.

"A war that goes on inconclusively for 20 years is not acceptable," he said. "We need to fix it."

In Beloit, a family remembers Tyler Kreinz.

Tyler was in middle school when the Twin Towers collapsed and the Pentagon was attacked.

He was upset, determined, andtold his mom that fateful day, Sept. 11, 2001: "I want to join the Army."

Tyler loved the outdoors and plannedto go to college and become a conservation warden. But first, hemade good on that youthful pledge, enlisting in the U.S. Army after he graduated from Beloit Memorial High School.

On June 18, 2011, in Uruzgan province of Afghanistan, Tyler was on a night patrol when the MRAP vehicle he was riding in overturned while crossing a river.

There was a desperate rescue attempt but Tyler and three others perished.

The next day, Father's Day, soldiers came to the Kreinz home to break the terrible news.

Tyler was gone. He was just 21.

U.S. Army Specialist Tyler Kreinz, of Beloit, died June 18, 2011, in Uruzgan province, Afghanistan, of injuries suffered during a vehicle crash.(Photo: Kreinz family photo.)

"His friends are in their 30s now and getting married and having children," said Tyler's mother, Mary Kreinz.

She and her husband, David, holdtight to the letters their sonsent home from training, and Germany and Afghanistan.

"I remember him feeling horrible for the women and children there," she said of his tour in Afghanistan. "I remember going to Goodwill to pick up Happy Meal toys that he could then give to the kids."

Her son shielded the family from his combat role in Afghanistan, telling them he mostly handled calls and did paperwork. Only later, after his death, did they learn he was on dangerous night patrols.

Mary Kreinz said she was glad that the war is now ending.

"It's been too long," she said. "9/11 made us realize there are some vicious people out there in the world."

She said she understood why American soldiers were sent to Afghanistan that al Qaeda needed to be disbanded but she is at a loss to make much sense of what occurred.

"We can't be fighting everyone's wars," she said. "They're fighting about religion, fighting about things we don't understand, we don't have business in."

Mary and her husband keep their son's memory alive through a memorial scholarship through the Wisconsin Conservation Warden Association.

"I would love everybody to know what a gentleman he was," Mary Kreinz said of her son. "And how strong he was."

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This Memorial Day, remember those who died in Afghanistan, and the loved ones they left behind - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

BELDING, Mich. On Monday, Memorial Day, a new statue was unveiled at the Denny Craycraft Veteran's Freedom Park honoring the men and women who served overseas in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The new monument was just recently installed, and will eventually include a list of names and maps of both countries so those visiting can point out to others where they served. On Monday, the monument was revealed, with those etchings coming soon.

Theyve come up with a gorgeous monument for us, it's phenomenal," said Holly Noble.

"And it's hitting home for us because these are the guys that are here now. Were losing a lot of our other Veterans, Vietnam, and everyday it's another person thats passing.

Noble, whose father was Denny Craycraft, wants to make sure that Veterans who are still with us know just how much they are appreciated by the country they sacrificed everything to defend.

Patten Monument Co in Comstock Park created the new statue.

The park has been able to add monuments highlighting Michigan soldiers involvement in different military conflicts through the years. Many of the updates possible through the work done by the park's namesake, Denny Craycraft.

Craycraft told FOX 17 in 2017, before his passing, "One thing that I know all of us Vietnam Veterans have done... weve made commitments to ourselves that we would never ever let any Veteran be treated, coming out of a war zone, like we were treated. And I think weve done very well at that."

Noble says she feels blessed to continue her father's work.

I dont even know the word for it.. its peaceful, maybe, to know that he worked so hard because they were treated so badly when they came back, and we dont ever want that to happen again, she told FOX 17 Monday.

We dont want to be just another Veterans park, we want to be a park that has their names in it, has their faces here.

Denny's efforts also carried on by friends of his like Craig Gregory.

The last time I came home I didnt even wear a uniform. I threw my military gear in a dumpster, because we were treated so bad," Gregory said Monday.

He has lots of wonderful memories of his friend Denny, and these days puts a lot of his energy into keeping the park in beautiful shape.

They gave up a part of their life to serve in the war, or they paid a part of their life to serve in the service," Gregory said.

"I don't care if they never left the United States... They took 2 or 3 or 5 or 8 years out of their life to serve our country. They should be honored.

You can find more information on the Denny Craycraft Veteran's Freedom park at their website. They are always looking for donations and volunteers.

They are also in the process of trying to locate a tank and a "Huey" Helicopter to place in the park. If you have any leads on where they might find either, you are encouraged to reach out.

You can do that at their website or by calling (616) 894-5488.

A Look at the New Monument

Denny Craycraft Veteran's Freedom Park

The new monument unveiled Monday honoring those who served in Iraq and Afghanistan

Scripps

Denny Craycraft Veteran's Freedom Park

The new monument unveiled Monday honoring those who served in Iraq and Afghanistan

Scripps

Denny Craycraft Veteran's Freedom Park

The new monument unveiled Monday honoring those who served in Iraq and Afghanistan

Scripps

Denny Craycraft Veteran's Freedom Park

The new monument unveiled Monday honoring those who served in Iraq and Afghanistan

Scripps

Denny Craycraft Veteran's Freedom Park

The new monument unveiled Monday honoring those who served in Iraq and Afghanistan

Scripps

Denny Craycraft Veteran's Freedom Park

The new monument unveiled Monday honoring those who served in Iraq and Afghanistan

Scripps

Denny Craycraft Veteran's Freedom Park

The new monument unveiled Monday honoring those who served in Iraq and Afghanistan

Scripps

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Monument to those who served in Iraq and Afghanistan unveiled at Belding Freedom Park - Fox17