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These scholarships will be awarded each summer to students from each of the six
school districts in Gratiot County: Alma, Ashley, Breckenridge, Fulton, Ithaca, and St. Louis. The
recipients will be chosen for their dedication to their communities, their patriotism, and their academic
achievement. Additionally, the scholarships will be awarded to students who will gratefully remember
this scholarship which enabled them to launch their careers.
This video was created by Maumee Turf, the company which created the specially-designed patriotic turf on the Veterans Memorial Field. In gratitude and in keeping with the patriotic theme, Maumee
captured the words of former President Ronald Reagen who spoke these words about those who had given their lives in service to this nation: (They are) “the epitome of human love—to lay down one’s life
so that others may live.”
This plaque, titled Heroes Wall of Honor, is located at three different locations at the Ithaca Community
Stadium. It reminds those in attendance of the sacrifices of the 19 Gratiot County men who lost their
lives during the Vietnam Conflict.
The NINETEEN BROTHERS plaque was the first plaque placed on the HEROES WALL OF HONOR in honor and memory of the citizens of Gratiot County
who made the ultimate sacrifice serving in Vietnam.
THANK YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME TO READ THIS INFORMATION TO LEARN ABOUT THE VETERANS MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM.
The vision of this project was conceived in 2018 but the pandemic of 2019 delayed the project. That delay only served to strengthen the resolve to bring this project to fruition.
This project required two separate steps.
STEP I: CONSTRUCTION
First, the Veterans Memorial Field and monuments needed to be designed and constructed. With the construction of the field completed in 2022 and the construction of the monument and statues scheduled to be completed in 2023 at no expense to any taxpayers. On the field itself, the words “Veterans Memorial Field” face both the home and visitor stands. In addition, both end-zones has the word “Service” stands out in gold. These words serve as a reminder that we may not be supporting the same team on the field, but we are all on the same team as Americans, honoring our heroes, and reminds us of the importance of service, sacrifice and the values that unite us all. Although the first step of this project provides a state-of-the-art athletic field to be used and enjoyed by our Gratiot County youth, it was constructed for a higher calling – to serve as the launching pad for the Veterans Memorial Scholarships program described below.
STEP II: IMPLEMENTING THE VISION AND GOALS FOR THIS PROJECT
Now it was time for the most important step of the project, honoring the 23,209 veterans and first responders who have given their lives protecting us and fighting for freedom and democracy in conflicts since 1900. We are forever grateful to these HEROES and their Gold Star families. Join us in honoring these heroes and your personal life heroes by supporting Gratiot County’s Veterans Memorial Scholarships effort. The ultimate success of this project will be determined by all of us… the Gratiot County residents uniting together with the ability and desire to honor the memory of our fallen heroes as well as our personal life HEROES both living and deceased. Please join us in the Veterans Memorial Scholarship effort for our Gratiot County youth. In doing so, you will be supporting our future heroes of tomorrow. The project will award annual scholarships to graduating seniors for all six Gratiot County high schools: Alma, Ashley, Breckenridge, Fulton, Ithaca and St. Louis.
NINETEEN BROTHERS
The 1960s and early 1970s were a great time to be a high school student in Gratiot County. However, there was one major drawback to this era: The Vietnam War. After receiving their high school diplomas, many graduates soon received draft notices. This meant leaving their loved ones behind and putting their service to their country first. However, as a result of the war, several thousands of young men across our country would never return home. Among those thousand were 19 Gratiot County high school graduates. The noble services and sacrifice of these 19 Heroes and their Gold Star families helped inspire the vision for this project. Therefore, it was deemed appropriate that the NINETEEN BROTHERS Plaque (above) be the first plaque placed on the Heroes Wall of Honor.
Respectfully, A Classmate and Veteran
Any individuals, families, businesses, or organizations that wish to join the Classmate and Veteran above by honoring their personal life’s heroes, both living and deceased, go to our DONATION PAGE.
No donation is too big or small!
One hundred percent of all funds raised will go to this scholarship program. This project is a non-profit 501(c) (3) eligible project, an IRS code that allows for federal tax exemption status for non-profit organizations, meaning donations to the Veterans Memorial Scholarships program are eligible for federal tax deduction.
We would like to thank the Ithaca School District Board of Education for embracing the vision of this project. Without their cooperation and support, this project would not have been possible. In addition, we would like to thank the Board of Education of Alma, Ashley, Breckenridge, Fulton, and St. Louis for their unanimous support for the newly formed Veterans Memorial Scholarships program. We believe this unanimous support of all six boards will not only provide substantial scholarships for our Gratiot County youth, it will also help to unite the citizens of Gratiot County in support of our heroes of tomorrow.
An anonymous donor has made a commitment to the Veterans Memorial Scholarship program to match the first $5,000 raised by each of the six communities: Alma, Ashley, Breckenridge, Fulton, Ithaca and St. Louis. This match will ensure that these scholarships will have a minimum value of $10,000 awarded to each Gratiot County High School in 2023.