Grovetown's memorial to veterans should include Civil War vets, too

Editor:

I am confused about the Veterans Memorial that Grovetown is about to establish. I have read two articles on this and both of them say that the names of all the veterans of Columbia County will be inscribed on a serpentine wall. Then the very next sentence it says that they will even go back to the Civil War if they have enough room. Why don't they have enough room? Is it poor planning, or is it an excuse so they can leave these names off the monument?

Some of these people are buried right across the street from where this monument will sit. A lot of people don't know, but more than 90 percent of the eligible men in Columbia County volunteered to fight to protect Columbia County and the state of Georgia during the War Between the States.

A lot of these last names are the names of roads, buildings and communities still today. A lot of these last names are still prominent last names in Columbia County today. How are today's ancestors of these brave men going to feel when their names aren't on that wall? How can Grovetown be proud of a monument they say is for all Columbia County Veterans, but actually isn't?

"All Columbia County veterans" means all Columbia County veterans. They should go past the War Between the States to get every veteran possible.

There are plenty of people and places they can contact to ensure all veterans will be recognized. Please do it right, Grovetown.

Sam Maddix

Harlem