Names are still being taken for members of the military that want to get included in new columns that will be installed in time for the Veterans’ Day observance at Escalon’s Community Center in November.
Members of the Escalon American Legion Post 263 are working on the project, seeking additional names to add adjacent to the existing Veterans Memorial Wall at the location.
Four brick columns will be constructed in front of the existing memorial wall, said project coordinators, each column about two feet wide, five feet long and four feet high.
Eligible veterans can have their name, rank, branch of service, date of service, etc. laser etched into a brick, which will be mortared into place on one of the four columns. There should be sufficient space for three rows of letters, numbers or spaces per brick, with approximately 18 spaces per row. The cost to have the brick laser etched and mortared into the column is $50.
Eligibility requirements to purchase a brick include: a veteran living in or having lived in the Escalon fire or school districts or those who have been active members of the community, even if they lived outside the districts. Both living and deceased veterans are eligible for inclusion, provided the other requirements are met. For example, officials said, some members of the Escalon Legion post do not live in Escalon, but are active in the post and community, therefore eligible for inclusion on the wall.
For more information, interested veterans or their family members are encouraged to attend a monthly meeting of the Escalon American Legion post, the second Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m. at the Post Hall, 1531 Second St.
The following members can also be contacted for additional information: George Tavares, 209-499-4520; Angelo Blanco, 209-838-7706; Curtis Vaughn, 209-869-5495; Vince Giovaniello, 209-869-6978.
The next meeting of the Post is scheduled for Tuesday, Aug. 11.
Giovaniello said the ceremony in November to dedicate the new columns will also include the sealing of a time capsule, which will be opened in 25 years, and items are also being sought to include in the capsule
